


Noblesse Oblige

by Batsutousai



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Drug Use - Original Character, F/M, M/M, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-22
Updated: 2012-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:52:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 118,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batsutousai/pseuds/Batsutousai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one thought to warn Squall against touching his younger self, and he leaves a part of himself behind when he returns to Time Compression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Touch of Memory

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaim Her:** This story uses characters and settings owned by Square Enix. No money is being made from the creation of this fanfic, and no copywrite infringement is intended. Some lines may be taken word-for-word from the game.
> 
>  **A/N:** This whole fic has been beta'd by the amazing [Shivani](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Shivani) and the gorgeous [Shara Lunison](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SharaLunison).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So, there I was, replaying _FFVIII_ again – I've been trying to get to the part where you enter Esthar so I can actually _read_ the OCS explanation, rather than just shitting this stuff out my arse – and I was watching the scene in Trabia where they were talking about how they'd all grown up together, you know? And my brain/muse went, 'Hey! What if Squall bequeathed his memories to his child-self!' My response was something along the lines of, 'HOLY FUCKING SHIT, NOT AGAIN.'  
>  Anyway. Dunno what it is about this fandom... Maybe it's just because I hate canon _that much_. I dunno.
> 
> Shara is working on a _FFVIII_ fic and she had me copy out my notes on the main characters' stats for her, which ended up evolving into a discussion of what signs each of them were, then on to how both Harry and Squall are Leos and isn't that _funny_?  
>  Long story short, I've got this absolutely _ancient_ baby names book that I stole from my mum back in high school and it's got a little blurb about each sign in the back. The info for Leo made mention of _noblesse oblige_ and it sort of stuck with me. Hence the title.
> 
> Squall is going to be _quite_ OoC compared to canon, I warn you now. Thing is, in this fic, he woke up to his need for his friends before he'd really learned to push them away. That's not to say he's particularly open or likes to hug random people on the street, but he does allow a bit more emotion and words of encouragement.  
>  On the other hand, this fic is also rather dark. Squall and Seifer kill people. Sometimes in cold-blood. You don't always get all the grizzly details on-screen, but you generally know what they're doing.

Squall trudged back towards the orphanage, feeling like the world was coming to an end. It had been three whole months since Sis left – Quisty had been keeping track of the days that passed on the wall of her bedroom and she translated it into weeks and months for him when he asked – and there was still no sign of her. Squall was about to give up on looking for her, but he couldn't help it, really. Maybe, if he kept on, she'd finally come back and be all smiles again. And she'd apologise for making Squall wait.

Maybe she'd have stories to tell, like Selphie always said. But maybe she'd been kidnapped! Like Irvy was always saying. (Zell would start crying when Irvy started talking about the pirates and child-eaters, but Squall was bigger than Zell and didn't cry. At least, not where Seifer could see, because Seifer would be a big meanie about it.) Squall hoped Sis hadn't been kidnapped. Or, if she had been, it was by somebody nice and friendly. And not child-eaters.

He rubbed furiously at his eyes, insisting to himself that they only stung because of the wind and _not_ because he was gonna cry. Big boys like Squall didn't cry. Only babies like Zell cried. That's what Seifer always said, at least.

He caught sight of Matron ahead and felt his eyes prickling again. He hurried towards her, only to find himself bumping into a man he hadn't noticed before. He was seconds from landing on his behind when hands covered in ripped gloves caught him under his elbows and helped him regain his feet.

"Careful," the man murmured, drawing away, but remaining kneeling in front of Squall.

Squall considered the man, surprised out of his own troubles. It wasn't often adults came to the orphanage, especially not adults covered in ick or with such sad eyes. Squall thought the man looked a little familiar, but he wasn't sure why. Maybe he was a relative of one of the other kids? Squall hoped it wasn't any of his friends; he didn't want to lose anyone else.

Matron's gentle hands came down to rest on Squall's shoulders and he looked up at her, reminded of his own plight. "I can't find Sis," he told her. "Am I...alone...?"

Matron brushed her hand through his hair, smiling but not answering. She glanced past Squall towards the man, who had regained his feet. "Do you know where to go back to?" she asked him, and Squall thought that was an odd question. "Do you know how? Will you be alright by yourself?"

The man's eyes lightened somehow, Squall thought, and he did a really weird salute. And then he sort of... faded away.

Squall turned and buried his face in Matron's dress. _'A ghost! Wait 'til I tell Irvy! But not Zell, 'cause he'd cry. Or Seifer. Meanies don't deserve to hear about cool things.'_

"Squall?" Matron said.

Squall looked back up at her. "Was that a _ghost_?" he asked.

Matron smiled. "Something like that," she agreed.

Squall's eyes widened, then he pulled away and ran for the orphanage. "Irvy! Irvy! I just saw something _cool_!"

Matron sighed and shook her head as the small child vanished into the building. She glanced back at where the older boy had stood moments before and spared a quick prayer that he would get home safe. Then she turned and started back into the orphanage, intending to start dinner; making food always helped her think, and Squall had left her a great deal to think about.

-0-

Squall wasn't sure when the changes started, only that they had. One morning, he woke up and he knew how to wield a gunblade and which of the berries that grew in the garden were edible. He knew, without question, that using a Holy spell against a Jelleye – they came onto the orphanage grounds every once in a while – was the best way to take one out, though an Aero or Tornado spell was also good.

A few afternoons later, he realised he could read the cookbook Matron had left out in the kitchen when one of the babies had started to cry down the hall. He spent a good twenty minutes flipping through it and reading over the ingredients before Matron came back and teased him about how looking at pictures of food was just going to make him hungry.

That night, after the other boys had all gone to sleep, Squall hunted down the paper and pencils one of the older boys kept under his bed and snuck out into the playroom to practice writing. He knew _how_ , but he wasn't practised at it and he wanted to learn to do it really, really well before showing anyone else. Once he was set up, however, he realised he didn't know what to write.

A strange memory of a bunch of older people came to him, then. One of the women was saying they should all keep a diary to help remember things.

Squall considered the poised pencil for a minute, then shrugged. _'Why not? But a diary is something a **girl** keeps, least, that's what Seifer always says. So, uhm... Journal! I'll keep a journal.'_

_"13 March,  
"Dear Journal,  
"My name is Squall and I'm four and three quarters. I live in an orphanage in Centra with a whole bunch'a other kids. There's Irvy and Zell and Selphie and Quisty and Seifer. And a bunch of other kids, but they're all older and they don't like playing with 'little kids'. Seifer used to throw rocks at Johnny when he called us that, but then Matron found out and he got in  big trouble. So he doesn't throw rocks no more, but he calls them names back. Fritz almost punched him for that a couple weeks ago, but Zell called for Matron and Fritz got in trouble. Seifer was almost, kinda nice to Zell for the whole rest of the day, after that. Guess he didn't wanna get punched.  
"Sis left 105 days ago. Quisty says that's about three and a half months, and Quisty's really smart, so I think she must be right. I really miss Sis, but some weird things have been happening, so I haven't been looking for her so much anymore. I was looking, lots and lots, but then I saw a ghost! It was really awesome and not scary at all! Irvy was reeeaaally jealous when I told him, and Selphie wanted to see him too. Quisty kept telling me to stop making things up. I didn't tell Zell, though, 'cause he woulda cried. And Seifer would tease me for it.  
"The ghost was super cool, but a few days ago, Seifer dared me to eat a berry out in the garden and Matron always tells us not to, 'cause we don't know if they're good to eat or anything, right? So I was going to turn Seifer down – Irvy got really sick last time he ate one of the berries – but then I realised I knew exactly which ones were ripe and which ones would make me sick. I even knew I was allergic to one of them. I didn't even know I had allergies, and especially not that it was to strawberries and apples. I've never even seen an apple before, but I know I need to avoid them.  
"The day after the Berry Incident – which went fine, by the way, and raspberries are tasty – I saw a Jelleye at the far end of the flower field, where they show up every few months or so. They've always scared me in the past, because I can't do anything about them, right? But I knew that I could take them out easy with a Holy spell, could envision myself doing so. Or that an Aero or Tornado would work, too.  
"Today, Matron left her cookbook out in the kitchen and I started reading it. I didn't even know I knew some of those words, but I could read them fine. And now I'm writing them fine, even though I've never even managed my name before.  
"It's... I'm a little scared, I think. But, at the same time, this all seems so... normal. Like I'm supposed to know how to swing a gunblade around or how to write a two thousand word paper on the differences between potions and Cure magic. I don't know how I learned all this stuff, but... I feel like this is important. Because there's something coming. Something so much more terrifying than a Jelleye in the flower field.  
"I'm getting sleepy, Journal. Writing is helping. I can't tell anyone, 'cause I don't wanna worry Matron, so I'll tell you instead. I hope that's okay."_

Three pieces of paper later, Squall felt just a little bit lighter, so he snuck back into the room he shared with most of the other boys and put the unused materials back before slipping his used papers under his thin mattress and climbing in to sleep.

-0-

_"25 May,  
"Dear Journal,  
"I had another nightmare. The icicle was scary, and so was the empty place, but this time... There was a really scary woman with white hair and mean eyes. She wanted to kill us and I think she would have, but I woke up before I could find out what happened. Irvy said I was whimpering in my sleep, again. Seifer looked like he was gonna tease me, but I left before he could. I don't like Seifer teasing me after my nightmares. They're scary and sometimes I think I might cry, but then I don't.  
"Rianna and Knute both got adopted yesterday. I'm glad they ended up together, especially since Matron and Uncle Cid seem so determined to adopt us all out. We were all a bit scared that they'd get separated since, you know, parents don't usually want two big kids, especially with the problems Rianna's got from watching Estharian soldiers burn her village. Seifer and Irvy always wanted to hear her tell the story and she never would. Seifer would call her really mean names, but I think I might understand why she always refused. I don't wanna talk about my nightmares, either. They're scary and they make me sick.  
"I'm running out of paper. Maybe I should try the girls' room. But if Matron or Zell catches me in there, I'll be in  big trouble. I dunno. It might be a few days before I can write to you again. Be good while I'm gone.  
"That only sounded a little retarded."_

-0-

_"13 June,  
"Dear Journal,  
"Coy got adopted this afternoon. He must have seen me writing to you or something, back when I still had paper, because he left me with a  whole notebook to write in. When I asked him why he'd leave me with such a precious thing, he said it's because someone has to show Quisty up. They've been sort of rivals about who's more clever since before I can remember, so I suppose that makes sense. Even if it's still weird to leave a notebook to a kid who's not supposed to know how to write.  
"I'm grateful, really I am, but I'm a little worried about who else has seen me. I mean, it's not really a bad thing for me to be practising my letters, right? But the skill with which I do so is near impossible for an almost-five-year-old. I mean, I don't even understand it, but I'm kind of used to it.  
"But I don't want other people to know. They'll ask why and how and I don't know those answers. I don't think I'd want to tell them, even if I had answers. I don't want anyone reading my entries, either. My thoughts are private, not some study into all the things that are wrong with me. And I'm beginning to think there's more wrong with me than my having been raised an orphan or Sis having left.  
"I've been dreaming of murder, the past couple weeks, by the way. Not my attempted murder, this time, but the murders I've committed. The first time I killed someone in my sleep, I got really sick and I really wished I still had paper. But I'm kind of used to it, now. Usually I'm just killing monsters, but these past couple weeks, it's been real people. Galbadian soldiers, for the most part, but I had a dream last night that I was in a dream, killing Estharian soldiers. It was really weird.  
"It's a bad thing, I think, to be used to dreaming about killing people. I feel like I should be freaking out more, but I'm really just sort of used to it already. It's like... There's this sense that people are supposed to die by my hand. Like I was born to do terrible things and there's no reason to hate myself for these murders.  
"Like I said; definitely something wrong with me."_

-0-

_"25 June,  
"Dear Journal,  
"They're called 'SeeD'. The people in uniform I keep dreaming about? SeeD. They're trained at Garden as mercenaries for hire. Sounds like they were created to fight some Sorceress or another. Or all of them ever. I don't know.  
"If I'm reading things right, the dream me is a SeeD. I suppose it explains him always getting into life and death situations. And, well, if he's  me, I suppose it explains my own calmness in viewing these dreams. Memories? Visions of the future? What are they? Where are they from? Why am I suddenly dreaming them?  
"Selphie's birthday is in a couple weeks. I don't know what to get her. Irvy's been working on some sort of sculpture that he says is a Tonberry, but I think looks more like a giant lump of clay with green spatters of paint. Seifer's drawing her something and Zell's been sorting through his car collection. Quisty's working on some sort of stuffed animal, which she's been hiding under my bed and working on while Irvy or Zell are distracting Selphie.  
"But what can I get her? In my dreams, she wanted a Garden Festival, but that's not really possible, here. All I know is fighting. And writing.  
"Fighting? Maybe I could make her some nunchakus. Should be interesting, but I've got some metal-working knowledge, after a fashion. Gotta know how to care for any weapon in the field, after all. I should be able to manage some sort of chain and stick setup. Maybe.  
"I should go work on that now."_

-0-

"Do you _have_ to go?" Selphie asked from where she was hugging Irvine's pillow to her chest. The owner of said pillow was sitting just behind her, looking a bit like he'd have enjoyed his own pillow to hug.

"I get _parents_ ," Zell replied through silent tears as he packed his meagre things.

 _'But you lose us,'_ Squall silently replied as he held his pillow out to Irvine. He'd half expected Seifer to mock Zell for crying, but the oldest boy looked just as upset to see Zell go as the rest of them. He stood with Quistis by the doorway, glaring down at the floor like it had done him some wrong.

Squall had been waiting for this to happen. He had only the vaguest of memories of his days in the orphanage, but he knew he'd start losing his friends one-by-one to adoption as Matron and Cid prepared to abandon the orphanage for Garden and the White SeeD ship. He had the sense that, after Ellone's disappearance, Zell leaving ended up being the straw that broke the other Squall's back, turning him into a sullen introvert who pushed away all friendly overtures until a group of people he'd once called family and a particularly pretty young woman all pushed back hard enough to break his walls.

 _'I don't want to be that person again,'_ Squall thought, heart in his throat as he watched Zell shove the last of his cars in one of the bags the Dinchts had provided him with. _'I don't want to be lonely and bitter like he was. I want to keep my friends, even though we'll be apart for a few years. I don't want Irvy to be the only one to remember us twelve years from now. But the GFs...'_

Zell was starting to drag his things towards the door of the room, leaving behind an empty bed, when Squall got an idea: _'Matron's camera! We'll take pictures!'_ He jumped over his bed and rushed out the door ahead of Zell, calling, "You can't leave yet!"

"Squall!" Quistis shouted, disapproving.

Squall skidded to a stop in front of the bookcase Matron kept the camera on. It was out of his reach, short as he was, but he was also determined and unusually resourceful for a five-year-old. He was working on pulling a chair over from the nearest table when Seifer appeared in the doorway, scowling. "What are you doing, Squally?" he demanded, that old bratty tone in his voice that had made many an older orphan consider socking him.

Squall sighed. "We're going to take pictures," he informed his future-past rival, still tugging on the chair.

Seifer frowned, scowl vanishing behind his confusion. "Take pictures? Of what? And we're not supposed to touch Matron's camera."

"Since when have you cared about what we are and aren't supposed to do?" Squall asked drily as he managed to get the chair into position. He clambered up onto it and stretched towards the camera, only to find he was still a few centimetres short. "Oh, damn it."

"You're gonna get your mouth washed out," Seifer commented as he jumped up onto the chair next to Squall and pulled down the camera. "You better hope Matron doesn't see you with this," he added as he handed it over.

Squall shot him a bright smile and jumped down, carefully cradling the camera against his chest so it didn't come to harm. "I don't think she'll mind," he said as he started from the room, leaving the chair where it was.

"Wait, you're actually going to _let_ Matron see you with her camera?" Seifer demanded, jogging to catch up to the younger boy. "Do you have a death wish?"

Squall considered that for a moment, head cocked to one side, then replied, "No, not a death wish. I think I might be a bit of a closet masochist, though."

"A _what_?"

"Masochist. Not much of a closeted one, I suppose, since I just told you." Squall shrugged and hurried a bit as Seifer gave him a confused look. "Come on, Seifer! Picture! We have to get there before Zell leaves!"

" _Why_?" Seifer snapped, deciding to leave the question of what a 'masochist' was for later. Sometimes, Squall said the weirdest things.

"Because photographs last longer than memories, and I don't want to forget you lot again," Squall said with a quiet sort of sincerity that left Seifer unable to ask what he'd meant by 'again'.

"Squall! What are you doing with that?" Matron shouted when she caught sight of the precious bundle in the boy's hands.

Squall gave her a hopeful look. "I wanted to take a picture," he said quietly. "Six of them, one for each of us."

Matron's eyes widened with understanding, but Irvine despondently asked, "Who cares about some picture? Zell's still leaving."

"Yes, but this way, no matter how much time passes, we'll always remember each other, so when we meet again we can pick right back up," Squall replied as he held the camera out to their guardian.

Selphie perked up a bit at that from where she was hugging Zell's arm. "You really think we'll meet again some day, Squally?" she asked hopefully.

Squall nodded with all the conviction of a five-year-old – or a boy with memories of a possible future – and said, "I'm _certain_ of it."

Matron ran a hand through Squall's hair, smiling. "Okay, then. All six of you, gather around. Come on."

"What if we lose the picture?" Seifer wondered, something in his eyes suggesting he would happily do so.

"Little boys who can't keep track of important things shouldn't have them," Quistis informed him with a proper tone.

"I'll remind you," Squall told him as he took the open place at the taller boy's elbow.

Seifer scowled down at Squall just as the shutter clicked and Matron laughed before shooting successive shots, until there were seven instant photos developing on the picnic table she'd been standing next to, one for each child and one for her.

"All right, everyone picks _one_ ," Matron told them as the kids all hovered around the table. "Squall, since it was your idea, you can pick first."

Squall looked the photos over, amused by Seifer's scowl, Quistis' prim smile and the way Selphie was curled fondly around both Zell and Irvine's arms. Then he got a good look at the first photo and the shot of himself. The way the wind had tossed his hair, he finally recognised why the ghost had looked so familiar. _'That was me,'_ he thought, picking up the photo and staring at himself, only partially aware of the others snatching up their own copies around him. _'Did he die? Is that how...?'_

"Squall?" Zell said quietly, interrupting Squall's line of thought and he looked up into watery blue eyes. Zell offered him a smile. "Thanks." He held up his photo to show what he meant.

Squall nodded and pulled the younger boy into a hug. "I think you should pick up martial arts," he murmured into Zell's ear.

Zell pulled back, looking confused. "Huh? Why?"

Squall's eyes danced with an evil humour. "So next time you see Seifer, you can punch him in the nose."

Zell's eyes widened, then he grinned. "Oh, _yeah_. That would be _awesome_."

"Good luck, Zell. I'm sure the Dinchts will be great parents."

Zell nodded. "I hope so." His expression fell a bit, then, and he whispered, "Hey, Squall?"

Squall cocked his head to one side. "Yeah?"

"Promise...promise you won't forget me?" Zell pleaded, all the innocence of his sheltered childhood colouring his voice.

Squall swallowed against his heart, which had jumped to his throat. " _Never_ ," he swore, silently promising himself to write a _long_ entry in his journal that night that was dedicated to Zell.

The others finished their goodbyes, even Seifer offering a polite handshake, and Zell left with the Dinchts on the boat they'd come down in.

They were just heading back into the orphanage when Seifer asked, "Matron, what's a 'masochist'?"

Squall's eyes widened in disbelief and he sped up just the slightest bit, resisting the urge to giggle. _'I cannot believe he just asked that.'_

"A mas–! Where did you hear such language? Do I need to wash your mouth out, Seifer?" Matron snapped.

Squall ducked into the orphanage and booked it to hide under a bed before Matron could find out he'd said such a naughty word around Seifer. Maybe she'd forget if he hid for a couple hours...

-0-

"What're you doing?" Seifer asked, dropping into the chair across from Squall.

Squall slammed his notebook shut and gave the other boy a disgusted look. "You should be in bed."

"Huh. Imagine that." Seifer leaned back in the child-sized chair. "Who taught you to write, anyway? Every time I ever asked one of the older kids, I got turned down."

"Probably because you're a jerk," Squall muttered under his breath before raising his voice enough so that Seifer could hear and saying, "I taught myself."

"Sure you did."

Squall rolled his eyes and opened his journal again, deciding it hardly mattered if Seifer saw his writing, since it wouldn't make sense to the older boy. "Go back to bed, Seifer."

Seifer dropped back forward on the chair and shook his head. "Can't. Lonny and Damon are having a snoring contest and Gideon's apologising to his mom for surviving. Again."

Squall sighed. _'We are all so very fucked up, aren't we?'_ he wondered with a touch of bitterness. "So go sleep in the girls' room; it's not like Quisty's using her bed."

"Selphie'll probably go next," Seifer replied, a touch of pain in his voice as he looked down at his hands, then across to Squall's notebook, filled with squiggles. Seifer recognised a few here or there from the reading lessons Quistis had been giving him for the past few months, before Zell or she had been adopted. It irritated him that Squall was clearly so much better at reading and writing, but the only way to solve that would be to get the younger boy to teach him until Seifer caught up. Assuming Seifer's pride would _let_ him ask for help – and it _would_ require asking, because Squall followed orders about as readily as Seifer did.

Squall watched Seifer as the older boy scanned the writing. Occasionally green eyes would light with knowledge at a word and Squall had a faint memory of Seifer already knowing how to read when they first got to Garden. (His writing, on the other hand, had always been abominable.)

Curious, Squall scrawled Seifer's name at the top of the page and smirked faintly at the narrow-eyed look the blond shot him. "Why are you writing my name, Squally?" he wondered in a sharply pleasant voice.

"Working on a theory," Squall allowed. "About how much can you read? One of the kids books on the shelf–" he nodded towards the shelves where all the easy-to-read books were kept, "–or a bit more than that?"

Seifer scowled and leaned back in his chair again. "Whatever Quisty had on hand."

Squall sighed, knowing Quistis' fondness for instruction manuals – she'd known how to read for a couple years yet, though she didn't always understand the words – and figured that Seifer could probably manage a couple of the kids books, but he might get tripped up over some words. Trust their resident genius to use high-level books to teach someone how to read.

Seifer shifted on the back legs of his chair, then ground out, "Will you teach me? To read and write?"

Squall blinked in surprise. "Huh? Sure."

Seifer's chair fell backwards and he let out a startled sound, more surprised than hurt, when he hit the floor.

Squall raised an eyebrow at him when Seifer righted the chair. "There's a reason Matron always yells at you for doing that, you know."

"Shut up, Squally." Seifer huffed a bit and sat back down. "You'll really teach me, though?"

Squall shrugged. "Yeah?" So what if they were future-past rivals and violent enemies? Squall didn't believe in withholding basic knowledge because of something someone hadn't yet done.

Seifer narrowed his eyes. "Without demanding anything in return?"

Squall snorted. "What could you offer me that I couldn't get myself?"

"I could trade the promise that I wouldn't pick on you any more."

"Seifer, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not actually scared of you. Or bothered by you, for that matter." Squall shot him a faint smile.

Seifer frowned at that, because Squall had a point. Before Sis Elle left, Squall had always been too hung up on her to pay much attention to Seifer. It had been easier to get a rise out of Squall after Elle left, even with him avoiding everyone, but then Matron and Uncle Cid had started adopting out more kids and Squall had become more... mellow, almost. He didn't wear that same adoring look he'd always worn around Elle, but nor was he that sullen boy who'd spent his days hunting for their missing foster sister. He wasn't as bright and cheerful as Selphie or Zell or Irvine, or as bossy as Quistis, or even as extroverted and rude as Seifer. He was just sort of quiet smiles and occasional bursts of excited energy. They'd become used to the change, just as they'd become used to the sullen Squall and no one had taken much note of it... Honestly, Seifer had just been glad that Squall had stopped trying to ignore him all the time.

"I'll teach you in the evenings, after everyone's gone to bed," Squall offered, flipping to the back of his notebook and beginning to trace out the letters of the alphabet. He, honestly, had no idea how to teach someone to read and write, but at least this should improve Seifer's penmanship. Maybe.

"Why after everyone's gone to bed?" Seifer asked, watching the brunet's steady motions over the page.

"Because I don't feel like teaching you during the day."

Seifer huffed. "You're hiding your abilities," he accused. "Afraid Irvy will ask you for lessons next?"

Squall shrugged, having no good reason for hiding his impossible talents other than the simple reason that others would wonder. Seifer had grown up with Quistis, so he didn't understand how unusual it was for someone not quite six to be able to write and read as well as Squall could. He was probably better than Quistis, honestly, not that she was around to compare it to anymore.

Finished tracing the letters, he ripped out the paper and another one under it before sliding both across the desk with an extra pencil. "Trace and copy those."

"Is there a point to this?" Seifer muttered as he dropped his chair back down to four legs and bowed over the papers.

"Making your handwriting legible," Squall retorted. "I can't judge how well you're learning if I can't read anything." He flipped back to his open journal entry to finish what he'd been writing while Seifer traced and copied for a couple hours.

-0-

"Squall!" Seifer called, walking along the beach. Matron had sent him to hunt down the missing brunet, apparently thinking that Seifer would actually be able to find the younger boy. Seifer wasn't sure what she'd been thinking, since he had no clue where his nightly tutor vanished to between breakfast and lunch. "Squall! Where are you?!"

After another minute or two of walking, Seifer caught sight of someone moving in the distance. Since Squall was the only kid unaccounted for, it was almost certainly him, and Seifer sped up a bit, desperate to get back to the orphanage before the couple who'd come could pick someone else or leave empty-handed.

He was just about to shout out Squall's name when he saw the flash of metal in the younger boy's hands and Squall suddenly went into a brilliant dance, a dull pipe flashing silver against the blue horizon as it swung through the air, each movement as controlled and easy as the way Squall scratched word after word into his personal notebook during their evenings together. Seifer couldn't help but stare, awed by the simple beauty of Squall's solitary movements.

As Squall slowed to a rest, Seifer gave himself a moment to wonder about the brunet's strange ways before calling out, "Squall!"

Squall spun on the spot, his pipe coming up to a ready position before he recognised the young voice and lowered it. He allowed a moment of irritation – he'd moved so far from the orphanage in hopes that no one would bother hunting him down – then calmly replied, "Seifer. What brings you all the way out here?"

"There are some possible parents at the orphanage," Seifer replied, eyeing the pipe curiously. "You write and read, you use words that throw Matron into an absolute fit, and now you practice fighting on the beach. Squall, what _are_ you?"

Squall snorted. "I'm a boy," he informed Seifer, sliding the pipe back into the hole between a couple rocks where he usually left it. "Come on, before Matron sends someone else."

Seifer fell into step with the younger boy and remained silent for a long while before asking, "Why?"

Squall glanced towards him, then looked back towards the orphanage roof coming into view over the rise. "Can you feel the change in the air?" he wondered quietly. "First Sis leaves, now they're trying to adopt out the rest of us. Uncle Cid's never around anymore and Matron is always distracted."

Seifer stopped, holding out a hand to grab Squall's arm. "What are you saying?" he asked, fear colouring his voice.

Squall shrugged. "I think it might be a good time to learn some self-sufficiency." At Seifer's blank look, he explained, "How to take care of ourselves."

Seifer huffed. "Matron wouldn't throw us out to the monsters," he stated as he started walking again.

"No, she wouldn't," Squall agreed. _'Though Garden's not much better for a couple kids.'_

"Then why–?"

"Because I'm a masochist," Squall retorted.

Seifer shot him a disgusted look, torn between wanting to know what the word meant and some fear at a word that literally sent Matron into a tizzy trying to find Squall to clean his mouth out. It had taken her three hours to find him and Squall had whined about tasting soap suds for almost a week. "Matron's gonna scrub your mouth out again."

Squall gagged.

They made it back to the orphanage in time to meet the adults, but they'd already picked an orphan: Selphie.

"It won't be so bad, Sefie," Irvine was saying as Squall and Seifer reached the girls' room. "We'll see each other again."

"Of course we will," Squall chimed in.

"You promise?" Selphie asked, looking up hopefully from where she was packing the last of her bags.

"Cross my heart," Squall swore, making an 'X' over his heart with his right index finger.

Selphie smiled and mirrored the action, then returned to her packing, much cheered.

"You almost missed saying goodbye," Irvine quietly chastised them.

"I was failing at skipping rocks down the beach," Squall said with a straight face, ignoring the sharp look Seifer shot him. "It took Seifer a while to find me. Guess I wandered a bit far..." He offered a helpless smile.

"You're a little special sometimes, Squally," Irvine said with a fond smile. "You can't skip rocks in the ocean."

"But if you found a still bit–"

"Okay!" Selphie called, ending the familiar argument between the brunets. "I'm ready. You three are helping me carry my things!" She dropped two bags at their feet.

Seifer and Irvine both took a bag, leaving Squall to escort the girl out of the orphanage. "You'll be fine," he murmured to her with the memories of a bright girl in a yellow dress playing in his mind's eye. "You'll love every moment away, I'm sure."

Selphie looked away. "But you guys won't be there."

Squall shook his head and squeezed her hand. "Not in body, but we'll be there in spirit. And you'll see us again."

Selphie smiled a bit sadly. "I wish I had your certainty, Squally."

"I guess you'll just have to trust me, then."

"I think I can do that," Selphie decided, her smile brighter.

Selphie was handed over to the Tilmitts and the three boys stood back to wave as the boat started away.

"And then," Squall whispered under the cover of the wind, "there were three..."

-0-

Some time mid-July, Seifer talked Squall into letting him join him on the beach. Irvine followed them out of curiosity sometimes, but he didn't much care for swordplay, so he'd go back and play by himself in the orphanage. There were a couple older kids still there, but none of them had any interest in playing with the quiet boy. Squall made certain that they spent all their time after lunch playing whatever Irvine wanted, no matter how much Seifer whined, and that seemed to make up for the mornings spent swinging wooden sticks at each other – Squall had hunted wooden ones down as soon as Seifer insisted he join because he didn't trust the older boy with metal quite yet.

Two and a half weeks before Squall's sixth birthday, Irvine was adopted by a stern-faced man in Galbadian uniform. Squall had wanted to refuse, to keep his friend around for just a couple more weeks, but he couldn't deny Irvine the chance for a family and he'd waved the younger boy off with the same friendly smile and assurances that they'd meet again that he'd given to all the others over the past year.

Without Irvine around, Squall stepped up his training, going far beyond Seifer's limited endurance and walking the thin line of exhaustion himself. Nights were spent teaching Seifer how to read and write and Squall patted himself on the back for the improvements to the blond's handwriting. Before finally falling asleep, Squall would pull out his photo of all of them and remember them as they were, then envision them as they would be. He had only his memories of their future faces and he was determined that he'd never forget them anymore than he'd forget that photo of them as children. Before war and the training of murderers darkened their eyes and hardened their hearts.

When Cid came in February to pick up the left over orphans for Garden, Squall almost felt ready to face his destiny.

-0-0-0-

-0-0-0-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a terrible time judging how childish kids should be at what age. Hopefully they're not too far off, though I know Squall's probably coming across as too mature. Edea's been a bit too busy to notice the change, and anything she _did_ notice, she brushed off as a part of his destiny.  
>  I know 'masochist' isn't _really_ a 'bad word', but it was fun to give Edea a word to freak out about, and the sexual connotations don't really make it a kid-friendly word.
> 
> The scene where Seifer catches Squall on the beach was originally going to be _way_ darker, but then I realised it was showing too much of Squall's hand too early and rewrote the whole scene. Which is sad, 'cause I kinda liked Squall sitting on Seifer and threatening to leave him to the monstrous fishys. XD
> 
> (Oh, so, having finally got to it, the OCS explanation isn't much of an explanation, though it's kinda pretty. And switching party members around to see what they might say different was kinda amusing... I wrote it down, for anyone who is interested in knowing, without worrying about playing up to that specific spot themselves.)  
> ~Bats ^.^x


	2. No One Here to Save

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a fair number of OCs in this chapter, but only because it's hard to tell stories about Squall's time in Garden using only the canon characters.
> 
> Also, because ShadowsofNyx asked: This fic is post-canon. It has nothing to do with Zyxt.

_"You are an unusual human,"_ Shiva commented, curling around Squall in his dreamscape. He had a very vague recollection of being absolutely terrified the first time he'd gone to sleep while junctioned, but after memories of years spent with Shiva as his closest companion, it was more comfortable than terrifying.

 _'Thank you, I think,'_ Squall replied, relaxing back against the humanoid figure. In his dreamscape, his body was that of the Ghost, as it would be at seventeen or so. He quite enjoyed being bigger, especially since he spent his days facing off against much larger opponents; with his months of training, he'd been shoved into the highest level classes, while Seifer got stuck just below him. Cid had been thrilled to learn that his future SeeD Commander was an apparent prodigy.

Shiva soothed chilled hands though Squall's hair. _"Normal humans are so boring,"_ she informed him, _"I much prefer you to those other children they bonded me to. You have such **memories** –"_

 _'If you start taking memories I want to keep, I'll un-junction you and train solo,'_ Squall snapped before she could get too comfortable in over two decades worth of memories. _'And don't you **dare** lie to me about not being able to tell important memories from those I couldn't give a fuck about, Shiva. I've memories of your usual tricks; they won't work on me.'_

Shiva let out a laugh filled with ice. _"I like you too much to threaten your memories and our bond, Ice Child. I will take your nightmares and fever dreams. Shall I take, too, those memories of your hatred for the Fire Child?"_

 _'Fire Child? Oh, Seifer...'_ Squall considered that, weighing the pros and cons of basically starting fresh with his future-past rival. Memories of fighting against Seifer were still precious to him, no matter how he was shaded in them, but the memory of an electric wall... _'You can take my time in D-District, but leave the others. I wouldn't want to be caught by one of his nasty tricks just because I forgot he was capable of being an utter bastard.'_

Shiva laughed her laugh of ice again and wrapped herself more fully around the teenaged dream-image. Her cold magic seeped through his mind and Squall felt suddenly lighter, as if all the darkness that had been bearing down on him for the past two years was suddenly gone. The haunting memories of dark places and frozen spears of death had slipped just beyond his reach, leaving behind the faintest of impressions that horror laid beyond his grasp. The knowledge of who and what and when Ultimecia was remained, but the memories of cold terror that had so often accompanied the mere thought of her name had been locked away.

 _"I will protect you, Ice Child,"_ Shiva breathed against his ear, _"from both within and without, if that is your will. Sleep now."_

Squall relaxed fully into her cold hold and closed his eyes. _'Thank you, Shiva,'_ he managed before he drifted away over fields of ice and snow, dancing among impossible flowers and falling back to make snow angels like the child he'd long left behind.

-0-

"I don't like this GF and she doesn't like me," Seifer ranted as he slammed his tray down across from Squall in the cafeteria. They'd all had Shiva junctioned for a week now and Seifer always said the same thing.

Squall's response was equally similar, "She speaks highly of you, as well."

Seifer scowled and poked at his broccoli in irritation. "I want a new GF."

"Shiva's the only one they have," Squall reminded him. Which wasn't _quite_ true, since he had it on good authority that Ifrit resided in the Fire Cavern to the east, but they were still too young to be left unsupervised and there weren't enough cadets for them to manage sneaking out, so Squall wasn't even going to mention it. Maybe in a couple years, he'd sneak Seifer out to pick up Ifrit. Assuming he and Shiva didn't kill each other first.

He spared a brief wonder to when Quezacotl would show up. He thought they'd already had her by the time they opened Garden, but that was clearly wrong.

Seifer turned his irritation on his potatoes and asked, "What do you have left today?"

"Advanced Mathematics, Survival and Basic Junctioning."

Seifer perked up. "You're in a basic class?"

"We're _all_ in that class, Seifer," Squall reminded him. "None of us have ever junctioned before, unless you were messing with GFs at the orphanage and forgot to tell anyone."

Seifer waved a hand at that. "Where would I even _find_ a GF down there?"

"The old Centra Ruins," Squall reported without missing a beat. "There's a Tonberry GF, as well as Odin, who's, erm, rather an unusual GF, honestly."

"Unusual how? And how do you even _know_ these things?"

"Magic." Squall waved a negligent hand at that. "Odin doesn't junction. He tests those who come to visit him and, if you pass his test, he'll come to your aid whenever he feels like it."

"Whenever he feels like it, huh? Sounds like another GF I know."

Squall rolled his eyes as he felt Shiva stir inside him to shoot an icy glare at the boy across from him. "Both of you, behave," he ordered, rolling his eyes again when Seifer shot a disgusted glare at him. Honestly, it was like working with toddlers.

When Seifer finally returned his attention to his lunch, Squall glanced around the cafeteria, wondering how much longer he'd have Seifer's company for. If he was remembering correctly, Fujin and Raijin should be showing up within the next year or two, and Seifer would almost certainly focus all his attention on them. He couldn't remember if Zell joined Garden before or after Seifer's posse, but he supposed he would end up actually making friends with the martial artist, this time. It would be nice to have someone to eat lunch with, once Seifer found his little clique.

 _'Ugh. When did I become someone who actually **wanted** friends?'_ he silently bemoaned. He knew, of course: as soon as he'd discovered how much simpler life was when you had someone else to lean on. Maybe he couldn't share his secrets with anyone else – these future memories were his burden to bear – but it was nice to have someone there, to know that he wasn't completely alone.

_'I suppose Quistis was right, that time in the Training Centre; everyone needs someone. It only took me a war and two years as a child to realise it.'_

The bell for classes rang and the two boys got up to dump their trays. "See you in Junctioning!" Seifer called with a grin as he started for his lower-levelled classes.

Squall waved him off as he fell in behind a group of scowling older boys and girls. He narrowed his eyes at them, silently daring them to try anything. He might not have an actual weapon, but it hadn't taken much for people to realise that their sole GF had a particularly strong bond with their resident prodigy, and she would immediately appear to protect him. The older kids turned away and Squall suppressed a sigh. _'Who knew being a fucking genius was such a pain? I suddenly have so much more sympathy for Quistis...'_

-0-

Quezacotl was found over the summer holiday, so the new term started with a much more pleasant Seifer. It was probably for the best, since they were starting to actually learn the art of summoning GFs in battle as a part of their combat classes. Seifer had managed to get into the higher level combat classes, having at least _some_ training, so it was another of the few classes he shared with Squall. Watching Seifer struggle with Shiva hadn't been something Squall had looked forward to, especially since the ice queen hadn't been willing to behave when Squall pleaded with her; she didn't like Seifer and she wasn't going to answer his call unless it was life or death. (And, even then, she'd only show up because Squall had threatened to un-junction her if she left Seifer defenceless. He _did_ actually want his future-past rival to survive, after all.)

The two other students who hadn't formed a bond with Shiva also got Quezacotl, so they were finally able to learn how to control the GFs in battle. Given, GFs tended to have a mind of their own, but if a summoner had enough of a bond, they could direct the GF towards the preferred enemy, rather than the GF just shooting their attack off in a random direction and going back to their non-space.

Squall excelled at controlling Shiva, of course, which made him plenty more enemies in their classes. Right up until, one afternoon, he got the opportunity to impart some wisdom to one of his classmates.

Kylie Akers was one of the few who had switched to Quezacotl, but she was still having trouble. Squall caught her in the Training Centre one weekend afternoon, aiming to throw the GF crystal against the nearest tree.

"Wait!" he snapped, hurrying forward and snatching the crystal out of her hand. In spite of her being almost a head taller, he glared at her with all the power of Shiva's ice and she shrunk under his gaze. "You don't _throw_ them when you're ticked off, Akers. Honestly." He closed his eyes and junctioned the electrical GF. _'Tell me what's going on,'_ he ordered.

Quezacotl shifted uncomfortably under his firm resolve, unused to being junctioned to someone so experienced. _"She's a stupid little girl,"_ she muttered.

_'You're worse than Shiva. I'm not asking what you think about her, I'm asking why you're not even trying to get along. And don't bother with the whole "her element's wrong". Both she and Seifer lean more towards fire and you manage fine with him.'_

Quezacotl pouted. _"You're a better human. Can't I junc–"_

 _'I'm a one-GF man,'_ Squall snapped. _'Stay on topic or I'll set Shiva on you.'_

Quezacotl eyed the other GF uncertainly and Shiva smirked. _"She orders,"_ the bird GF explained. _"She orders **stupid** things and when I tell her she's being stupid, she un-junctions me and throws my crystal. That **hurts**."_

Squall sighed and un-junctioned the GF even as he opened his eyes to pin Akers with a chilled glare. "You _don't_ throw their crystals," he hissed, holding Quezacotl's crystal up for the older girl to see. "I don't care how many names she's calling you, or how much she's refusing to do what you order, throwing her crystal is rude. It's like..." He floundered for a minute, trying to draw up a correlation. "It's like if some giant picked up the car you were in and tossed it against a mountain. It fucking _hurts_."

Akers pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly displeased with the younger boy telling her what to do, but a little impressed with the ease that he junctioned an unfamiliar GF. "I won't throw her if she'll stop refusing to follow my orders."

Squall rubbed at the bridge of his nose, along the line of a scar that didn't exist. "Just as humans are limited in what we can accomplish, so too are the GFs, though their limits are different. They're incapable of forming a solid body except for a limited time, for example. They also can utilise only one element or attack. Their powers in battle are limited by their bond with the human they're junctioned to, so when I call Shiva, she'll always be stronger than, say, Damon's Shiva."

Akers crossed her arms. "I know all that."

"You understand they have limits, but you're not keeping that in mind while trying to summon them," Squall shot back. "Before I showed up, what did you tell her to do?"

Akers huffed. "I wanted her to blast that tree." She pointed to the tree she'd aimed the crystal at.

Squall closed his eyes and resisted the urge to finger the non-existent scar again. "GFs are trained to assist us in battle, not a science experiment," he muttered. "If you want her to attack a tree, you need a better reason than, 'I want to see what it looks like'. More importantly–" he looked pointedly down at her shoes, "–if you're going to be playing with her electricity in an unprotected setting, you need to wear rubber-soled shoes or you're going to get hit with the left over charge."

Akers blinked, then looked down at her shoes herself. It being the weekend, she'd chosen to wear a comfortable pair of shoes that didn't have the same protective qualities as the rubber-soled combat boots they were required to wear as part of their uniform during classes. "Oh."

Squall sighed and held Quezacotl's crystal back out to the older girl. "Part of what gives their lives meaning is their urge to protect us, their bonded humans. She's not refusing your orders to be obstinate, but because they'd put your own life at risk. Next time she refuses something, ask her _why_. Or, if nothing else, use your own damn common sense." Once Akers had taken the crystal back, he turned to stalk deeper into the foliage.

"Hey, Leonhart?"

Squall sighed and turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"Uhm... Thanks."

Squall waved it off. "The GFs are smarter than we give them credit for. Listen to them more often and they'll become valuable allies, rather than just that annoying little voice that sits in the back of your head." He grimaced as Shiva giggled. "Given, they'll _always_ be that annoying little voice..."

Akers laughed at that.

"Go change your shoes," Squall directed, then vanished behind the trees to get his own weekend training in. Preferably _before_ Seifer finally pulled himself out of bed and hunted down his missing roommate again.

-0-

"It's called 'sleeping in'," Seifer was saying for the millionth time. Squall's habit of vanishing into the Training Centre in the early mornings drove Seifer spare, especially since he'd much rather be getting his own training in than hunting for the missing brunet.

"I know what you call it," Squall retorted, pointing his fork at the blond, "but _I_ call it being lazy."

"Workaholic."

"Lazy brat."

A tray thumped down next to Squall and both boys turned with wary eyes towards the twelve-year-old who was staring down at them. "Leonhart," he said with a nod to Squall.

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Ricaforte. To what do we owe the dubious pleasure of your presence?"

October Ricaforte smiled in amusement at the implied insult. "No need to take that tone with me, kid–"

"Because you're so much older," Seifer muttered, discontent with being ignored.

Ricaforte shot a warning look at the disgruntled blond, only for Squall to icily say, "I don't think you've been properly introduced. Ricaforte, this is my best friend and roommate, Seifer Almasy. Seifer, October Ricaforte, heir to the Ricaforte fortune."

"And General-to-be," Ricaforte agreed pleasantly, offering his hand to Seifer in an implied offer of truce, which the younger boy took with a glare.

Squall snorted and rested against the elbow he braced on the edge of the table. "What do you want, Ricaforte?"

The older boy settled at the table and pulled out a notebook filled with class work for their Advanced Mathematics class. "Tutor me."

"What would I possibly get out of that?" Squall wondered while Seifer stole his biscuit. Squall was already tutoring the blond, after all, and he wasn't getting anything in return except a lessening of hopeful pleading. Not that Seifer had anything to give him...

"I'll pay you," Ricaforte replied, setting twenty gil on top of the notebook.

Squall considered that; SeeD didn't exist yet, as Garden wasn't quite a year old, and the allowance that would one day be dispensed to the cadets had only been around because of the surplus money from SeeD missions. Garden was made up of those orphans who had been six or older when Cid finished converting the shelter and the scions of rich families who didn't mind paying a little extra to get their kids a military education in hopes that they'd enter the army as better than infantry, and the difference in the social backgrounds was glaringly obvious.

 _'I could get Revolver sooner if I had the extra pocket change,'_ Squall knew. He _wanted_ to train with his trusty blade again, not the piece-of-crap imitations they kept on hand in Garden. The idea of someone actually _wanting_ to train with and master the gunblade hadn't even crossed the minds of the faculty, so they didn't have the preparations for it. Squall would have to wait another four years or so before someone thought to get a real gunblade in stock, unless he had his own income...

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Ten an hour," he insisted. "And I'll tutor you in whatever you want."

Ricaforte considered the gil he'd put down. "Only ten?" he wondered.

"I'm not allowed out of Garden for another year and a half," Squall pointed out. "Depending on how stupid you're feeling, that should give me plenty of time to save up for whatever catches my fancy in town."

Ricaforte chuckled and dropped the twenty gil onto Squall's tray. "Very well. You've got two hours to help me figure out this mess."

Squall nodded, glancing up at Seifer. "Stay or go?" he asked; their lunches were only going to last them another half hour at most, and there was no reason to keep Seifer away from the training they usually got in after lunch just because Squall had agreed to tutor one of the rich kids.

"Are you kidding?" Seifer replied, green eyes bright with amusement. "I'll do _anything_ to get out of the kiddie maths classes."

Squall shrugged and returned his attention to Ricaforte, resigning himself to tutoring both boys.

-0-

"Fresh meat," Seifer murmured from the doorway of his and Squall's dorm as the new students came in.

"Play nice," Squall ordered from inside their room. He was working on the last of his spring holiday work, which he would have finished a few days ago if he hadn't been tutoring everyone else in the fucking school. On one hand, the drain on his time was obnoxious, on the other, he had more than enough money to buy himself Shear Trigger, if he wanted. By the time next spring holiday came around and he was allowed out on his own, he'd probably be able to afford Lion Heart.

Even better than the ability to buy his weapon soon was the fact that Seifer had been knocked up a couple classes. He'd taken to sitting in on the tutoring sessions, so he was learning things far beyond his current level, and Squall was more than willing to fill in the blanks in the evenings. Sharing so many of his classes with the closest person he had to a friend made Squall happier than he could remember ever being in the past, even if a part of him wondered how Fujin and Raijin would change things.

There was a commotion in the hall, then a sharp voice calling, "BACK OFF."

 _'Think of the devil and she shall appear,'_ Squall thought with a bitter smile.

" _Make_ me back off, little girl," one of the older girls, Mari Laymance, replied.

"Your 'fresh meat' is about to have her ass handed to her by the best martial artist in Garden," Squall commented, not looking up from his work. Mari was one of the few who Squall _wasn't_ tutoring, and she'd actually been the one to correct his own hand-to-hand form during winter term.

"I dunno about that," Seifer replied, voice gleeful as he watched the small albino dodge out of Mari's grasp and come up behind the taller girl to deliver a couple nasty kicks to her calf. "That girl is _cool_."

"Feel free to introduce yourself."

Seifer glanced back at the hunched form of his roommate. "Aw, is Squally afraid I'll leave him for a _girl_?"

"Oh, get a _life_ , Seifer." Squall rolled his eyes. "Go make nice with a couple new kids so I can finish my work."

Seifer laughed at that, having heard more than once that holiday about how Squall would never get his work done if everyone kept pestering him. "Yeah, okay. You want me to close the door?"

" _Please_."

Seifer pulled the door shut behind him, still chuckling, and started wading through the flock of confused students to where Mari and the new girl were facing off. "Come on, ladies," he offered. "Is that any way to start a new term?"

"New kids need to _respect_ the authority of those of us with seniority," Mari spat.

"I have seniority over you," Seifer pointed out, offering a winning smile to Mari's heated glare. "Come on, Laymance, at least let her put her bags in her room before you beat her up."

Mari mulled that over. "Tch. Fine." She considered the new girl with narrowed eyes. "Almasy won't always be there to save you, bitch."

The girl just glared right back until Mari had vanished into the crowd. Then she turned to Seifer and glared at him. "NO THANKS."

"You're welcome," Seifer replied with an overly cheerful smile as he grabbed one of her dropped bags. "What's your room?"

"I don't need your help," the girl hissed.

"So you _can_ talk like a normal person." Seifer reached for the other bag, only to have his hand swatted away. "Aw, come on. I'm just being friendly."

"UNWANTED."

"Back to one and two word answers." Seifer sighed. "I think you're worse than Squally. Come on, let's get you to your room before Laymance decides you're too tempting. Really, we gotta teach you which people _not_ to mess with..." As he talked, he half-shoved, half-followed her to her new dorm room. The halls had mostly cleared during their trek and the girl's roommate was already debating which of the two bedrooms she wanted. "Hi, there!" Seifer called to the new girl.

"I thought boys weren't allowed in the girls' dorms," the girl replied, giving him a faintly disgusted look before turning to her new roommate. "Andrea Sutton."

"Fujin Natsuki," the albino Seifer had been following around replied. She turned to Seifer and pierced him with her one visible eye, the other hidden behind an eye patch that Seifer found rather fetching. "OUT."

"Aw, I'm wounded," Seifer replied, holding out the bag he'd grabbed. "I'm Seifer Almasy, by the way."

"And we care because?" Andrea snapped.

Seifer pretended to think about that for a minute, then replied, "Because my best friend and roommate is the resident genius and if you want anything to do with him, you gotta be nice to me." He shot her a smug look.

Andrea scoffed. "I've had the best tutors money can buy since I was three. What do I care for some supposed genius?"

Seifer snorted. "Squall's the youngest person in Garden and he's also the smartest. He's been able to read and write since he was five, at least, and he's been training with a sword for about the same amount of time. There are three students out of twenty-three in Garden that _aren't_ getting tutoring from him, and even _they_ admit he's smarter than them. So, please, diss him, but don't be surprised when you get looked down on for mocking him."

Andrea took a deep breath in preparation of some sharp retort when a head poked around the door frame. "Thought I heard you, Almasy," October Ricaforte said. "Have you seen Leonhart?"

Seifer blinked at the older boy. "Huh? Yeah, he's finishing his work. Why?"

Ricaforte sighed. "Suppose I shouldn't bother him, then."

"Maths again?" Seifer guessed.

Ricaforte grimaced. "Yes." He paused and cocked his head at the blond. "I don't suppose _you_ could help? Hyne knows you're getting more tutoring than the rest of us combined."

"You mean I sit through all your lessons and I pick things up faster than you."

"Don't get cocky, Almasy." Ricaforte, pushed away from the door frame. "Come on, prove to me you're more than Leonhart's slightly dumber clone."

"Call me dumb again and I'll kick your ass, Pretty Boy," Seifer retorted, but he obediently followed after the older boy. "Bye, Fujin!"

Fujin shook her head in disbelief and looked over at her new roommate, only to find the girl staring in disbelief after the two boys. "WHAT?" she snapped.

"That was October Ricaforte," Andrea replied.

"SO?"

Andrea shook her head. "He's the pride and joy of the Ricaforte family. They lauded him as a genius, but..." She took a deep breath. "Squall Leonhart, huh? We'll just see what he's worth."

Fujin shook her head at how weird rich people were and started shuffling into her new bedroom.

-0-

"I thought you were going to torment the new kids, not Ricaforte," Squall commented as Seifer dropped into the seat across from him.

"The idiot was failing at maths again, so I went with him to mock him a bit," Seifer informed his roommate. "And her name's Fujin Natsuki."

"You're too young for a crush, Seifer," Squall informed him, grimacing at the adoring tone Seifer said Fujin's name in.

"You're never too young for love!"

"You're channelling Selphie and it's creeping me out. Stop." Squall pinned him with an unimpressed look.

Seifer grinned back and started picking at his food. "How do you think Selph is doing, anyway?"

"I'm sure she's fine. I'm way more worried about Quisty, anyway." The Trepes had obviously only wanted her for her smarts.

Seifer's expression fell. "Yeah, me too. Irvy, too; that man who adopted him seemed like a real jerk."

Before Squall could think of a response, a tray dropped next to him and a sharp-eyed brunette sat down. "You must be Squall Leonhart."

Squall looked hopefully towards Seifer while Fujin took the spot next to the blond. "Andrea Sutton," Seifer offered before turning with a grin to Fujin. "Hello, again! Decided I was too awesome to ignore?"

"More like too obnoxious," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes. He glanced back at the girl watching him with narrowed eyes. "I'm Squall. What do you want?"

"To prove you're no genius," Andrea insisted.

"I'm not a genius," Squall informed her drily, "I'm just a quick learner."

"Genius!" Seifer called.

Squall sighed and decided he wasn't having this conversation. "Whatever."

"You'll have to forgive him, we're still trying to train his social skills," Seifer informed Fujin. "So, what's with the eye patch? 'Cause it's kinda awesome, but not the best fashion statement while you're at a military academy."

"REQUIRED," Fujin informed him shortly.

"Required?" Seifer repeated.

"I believe she means she can't see out of that eye anyway, so she covers it with the patch to protect it," Squall translated. _'And since when have I been an authority on Fujin-speak?'_

Seifer nodded. "Right. How did you–"

"Seifer, your social skills are worse than mine," Squall interrupted before the blond could ask further about Fujin's mysterious injury. Not that he knew how it had happened, personally, but he _did_ know that Fujin didn't talk about it and would kick anyone who tried to bring it up.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm not going to help you when she kicks you out of your chair for asking about something that's none of your business," Squall replied as Andrea let out an irritated sound and left, muttering something about 'inane chatter'.

Seifer considered that for a moment, then turned back to Fujin and asked the question all orphans were interested in, "What are your parents like?"

"DEAD," Fujin said.

Seifer's expression blanked for one moment, then he quietly replied, "Mine too."

Fujin relaxed a bit and Squall realised, _'This is why they became such good friends. They're both orphans, looking for a family.'_

"I never knew my parents," Seifer added quietly. "Squall and I grew up at an orphanage."

Fujin nodded. "LAST WINTER."

"I'm sorry," Seifer said with true honesty.

Fujin nodded and that was that. She started eating with them during meals and sitting with Seifer in the one class she shared with him. She never said much, but then, she never really had.

And, strangely, Squall didn't feel like a third wheel. Seifer never left him out, and Fujin didn't ignore him, either. It was strangely like he'd become a part of the posse before it was even formed.

-0-

Raijin didn't come onto their radar until shortly after Squall's eighth birthday. Seifer and Squall were training in the Training Centre while Fujin was in a class and they heard someone screaming bloody murder deeper in.

"Should we get an instructor?" Seifer wondered rhetorically as they both moved towards the scream.

"They'd get here too late," Squall muttered. "Honestly, whose idea was it to leave the Training Centre open for any idiot to walk by?"

Seifer snorted in amusement, having heard Squall's complaints about their fellow students and their inability to judge whether a situation was too high above their level on many an occasion.

The scream came again, this time followed by the roar of a T-Rexaur.

"Hyne protect all idiots," Squall snapped, putting on a burst of speed and drawing his practise gunblade as he cleared the trees. He took less than a second to take in the scene – Raijin cowering under an angry T-Rexaur, the wooden spear he'd brought in snapped in half – and then he was facing off against the monster, sorting through his para-magic for the Sleep spell he'd taken to stocking as soon as they added T-Rexaurs to the Training Centre over the summer.

Behind the speedy brunet, Seifer stopped and helped the dark-skinned boy up. "That was stupid," he commented. "You see a T-Rexaur, you run."

"I tried to, ya know?" the boy grunted, holding his side and wincing when it screamed in pain.

Seifer pulled out a potion and handed it over; Squall always insisted they were well stocked in potions and Cure magic, even though the younger boy was more than capable of taking down a T-Rexaur without a scratch. Seifer glanced up at where Squall had called Shiva to finish off the snoozing dinosaur. _'Case in point.'_

Squall waved Shiva away and turned to give the two boys a sharp look as he sheathed his weapon. "I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you did not, in fact, think that you could take on a T-Rexaur with a practise spear and Quezacotl," he offered Raijin.

Raijin nodded, grasping for the chance to explain himself to someone who was clearly his better. "Yeah. I was lookin' for a Grat, ya know? Gettin' some training in. But then that thing appeared and I was tryin' ta run from it, but I kinda tripped a bit and it knocked me into a tree, ya know? It hurt."

Squall sighed. "You're _supposed_ to come to the Training Centre with a partner for emergencies like this," he pointed out, then shot a knowing look at Seifer as the blond opened his mouth. "Don't even."

Seifer grinned. Squall often came to the Training Centre on his own. Of course, he could get away with it, being as obnoxiously strong as he was. Sometimes, Seifer wondered if his friend was even human.

"My roommate left over the summer holiday, ya know?" Raijin explained sheepishly. "He was the only person I really knew here, so I didn't have anyone to come here with. Ya know?"

Seifer grinned and draped a friendly arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Well, now you know us! I'm Seifer Almasy, by the way."

"Raijin Nakai," Raijin replied, blinking a few times in surprise. "If you're Almasy, then is that...?" He turned towards Squall, hero worship in his eyes.

Seifer's grin widened when Squall made a disgusted sound and turned away. "That's the Wonder Boy himself, Squall Leonhart," he informed Raijin.

"Seifer, I will freeze you in your sleep if you call me that again," Squall informed his roommate.

Seifer waved a hand at that, deciding it wasn't worth worrying over Squall's threats right that moment, even though he'd probably regret it later. "So! Raijin, you can train with us! We'll have to get you a new weapon, though..."

"Sorry..." Raijin murmured, letting himself be drawn back towards the entrance by Seifer while Squall fell in behind them.

"Nah. Squally's always breaking his toy, anyway."

"It's not a _toy_ ," Squall called, frowning at Seifer's usual name for the gunblade. Given, the ones they had at Garden _were_ crappy, but they weren't _toys_.

Seifer shook his head. In all honesty, he was a little jealous of Squall's natural skill with the notoriously difficult weapon. Seifer himself was sticking with a normal sword until he had way more control before he'd even _consider_ trying Squall's favoured weapon. He _did_ like the gunblade, and the idea of mastering it himself was appealing, but he knew better than to try that now. And mocking the Garden weapons made him feel better about his lack of skill.

They trained together until lunch, Raijin watching in awe as the other two boys decimated anything they came up against. As Seifer had said, Squall had to replace his weapon twice during the three hours they spent in there and Raijin wasn't sure if it was because the young prodigy was just that hard on the weapons, or because the weapons were pieces of crap.

They entered the cafeteria at lunchtime and got themselves some food. When Raijin started towards his usual solitary table, Squall grabbed his arm. "Come on," he ordered, half dragging the larger boy towards the table he shared with Seifer and Fujin, both of whom had already taken their usual seats.

"Fuu, this is Raijin Nakai," Seifer introduced. "Raijin, this is Fujin Natsuki. She's my kick-ass almost-sister."

"And by that, he means Fujin has kicked his ass more than once," Squall added. "Sit. You're eating with us."

"If you're sure..." Raijin said, settling uncertainty into the open chair next to Squall's usual spot.

"If we weren't sure, Squally wouldn't have dragged you over here," Seifer said agreeably. "You're not so bad, Raijin, and everyone should have a friend." He smiled.

Raijin smiled back. "Thanks."

"And now Fuu'll have someone to sit in class with her!" Seifer added. "Ow! Fuu..."

Squall snorted and turned his attention to his food, letting Seifer and Raijin's conversation flow over him. Across from him, Fujin settled in to do the same thing, seeing nothing wrong with having someone around to distract Seifer's attention from her. And it _would_ be nice to have someone to sit with in classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about Seifer in this one. I'm mostly resigned to Squall's OoCness, but Seifer's bugging me a bit. Meh.
> 
> ~Bats ^.^x


	3. Burn Up the Tracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave me something of a surprise twist. Remember what I said in chapter one about self-writing characters? Yeah. That.  
> I blame Cid.

"I don't know why _I_ have to come with," Seifer muttered as Raijin led the way through Balamb to the weapons shop. Another year had gone by and the spring holidays had come again. This time, Squall and he were considered old enough to leave the Garden and go into town, so long as they _only_ visited Balamb. Since Raijin was from Balamb, taking him made sense, but Squall had then proceeded to drag Seifer along as well, paying no heed to his refusals.

"Because I said so," Squall replied. "Now stop whining."

"No."

Squall sighed and rubbed tiredly at his non-existent scar, a bad habit he'd developed since his return to Garden. No one thought to question the odd motion, although Seifer had shot him more than one curious look when the blond caught him at it.

"Here," Raijin interrupted their silence, stopping in front of the shop.

"Thanks, Rai," Squall said, grabbing Seifer's arm and dragging the other boy in after him. "We shouldn't be long!"

Raijin waved them off and wandered into the convenience shop next door for something to snack on while he waited.

In the weapons shop, Squall and Seifer were met by a grinning man. "You boys look a little young to be in here."

"We're from Garden," Squall replied in the sharp voice he used for idiots. Hearing it directed at an adult made Seifer smile even as said adult frowned a bit. "We're looking for gunblades."

"Now, that's a mighty difficult weapon for–"

"Revolver-style for me, pistol-style for him," Squall added, refusing to take no for an answer.

"Huh? For me?" Seifer asked, looking startled. "But I can't use the gunblade." He'd tested one of the Garden gunblades the month before and been quite upset to realise he couldn't get the hang of it. It was too heavy to use one-handed, and the grip was too small for him to wield it comfortably two-handed.

"You can't use the revolver-style," Squall corrected as the shopkeep hunted down his minor stock of gunblades, muttering to himself about pushy brats. "The pistol-style gunblades tend to be a bit lighter, so you can stick with that ridiculous one-handed fighting style you enjoy so much."

"There's nothing wrong with having a free hand!"

"Here you are, boys," the shopkeep said, holding out the two simplest gunblades he had in the styles the brunet had specified. He really hated rich kids and their insistence that they get exactly what they wanted, though he had to admit that the one boy clearly knew at least _something_ about gunblades.

Squall motioned for Seifer to give Pistol – a much lighter and simpler version of the Hyperion Squall remembered – a try. Seifer took it with an uncertain look and took a moment to figure out the grip, then he turned to the side, ensuring he had some space, and swung it. He blinked in surprise at how light it was. "Huh. Not bad."

Squall smirked and accepted Revolver. He gripped the familiar weapon and absently pretended to parry a blow while also looking it over with a sharp eye. He trusted this shop to keep only good weapons in stock, but he knew better than to completely trust that, especially with a weapon as unusual as a gunblade. Certain that the blade and built-in gun were in good order, he turned to where Seifer was enjoying his newest toy. "Let me see that, you idiot."

Seifer grinned and handed the weapon over so Squall could check it. "That is an _awesome_ gunblade. You never told me there were different styles."

"Watching you mope was more fun," Squall replied drily, nodding that the weapon was fine. "We'll take them."

Seifer's expression fell a bit at that. "Squally, I don't have the money–"

"I've got enough for a couple dozen gunblades, with all the tutoring I've been doing," Squall interrupted. "You'll just have to pay me back by being my training partner." He shot Seifer an evil little smile.

Seifer sighed and shook his head, giving in, as the shopkeep said, "Two hundred gil."

Squall pulled out the required money and passed it over, then accepted the sheaths the man handed over for the gunblades. Revolver was slipped into place on the extra belt he wore and rested almost naturally against his behind. Seifer had a bit more trouble figuring out where Pistol would go, uncomfortable with the long blade sticking out behind him. He finally settled on swinging it over one shoulder and across his back, where it rested comfortably above his knees.

Weapons in place, the two cadets left to hunt down Raijin, who they found outside, talking to a bouncing boy with blond hair spiked in a ridiculous hair-style.

"Oiy, Rai!" Seifer called, grinning a bit madly at his friend.

Raijin and the boy he was talking to both turned and Squall took a moment to enjoy seeing Zell's eyes widen with recognition, then he offered, "Hi, Zell."

"Squall! Seifer!" Zell grinned and bounced a bit more. "What're you two doing in Balamb?"

"We're at Garden," Seifer offered as he and Squall joined the other two out of the flow of foot traffic. He reached out and mussed Zell's hair, asking, "Why is there a chocobo's behind on your head?"

"Wha–!" Zell swatted at Seifer's hands, making the older blond laugh. "Why are you always such an _ass_?"

"Oooh... Zell said a bad word!"

Squall sighed and smacked the back of Seifer's head. "How are you, Zell?" he asked lightly as Seifer made a pitiful face and rubbed at his head.

Zell grinned at the brunet. "I'm okay. I got accepted to Garden myself, this year! Raijin got in and all, right? So I figured I'd give it a shot. There's a whole bunch of us that got accepted."

"I didn't know you guys knew each other, ya know?" Raijin added, smiling a bit to himself at seeing his friends getting along. Well, as much as Seifer ever got on with anyone not in the 'posse' – Squall's term for them. For all that Squall was really quiet and tended to exude a sort of unapproachable air, his time tutoring kids had made him one of the most popular kids in Garden, and he actually had a number of people who claimed him as something of a friend, but Seifer tended to insult people too often for anyone to put up with him for longer than necessary to enjoy Squall's company. Seeing Seifer on even somewhat friendly terms with someone outside their group was awesome, more so that it was one of Raijin's old friends.

"We were in the orphanage together," Zell explained to Raijin before he shot Squall a faintly amused look. "You always said we'd meet back up again."

" _Some_ of us never _left_ ," Seifer informed the younger blond.

" _Some_ of us also never grew up," Squall added, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Seifer."

Zell sighed. "So everyone else got adopted except you two?"

"There's a few older kids from the orphanage in Garden," Squall replied, "but, yes, of us six, Seifer and I were the only ones who never got adopted."

Zell's expression fell. "I'm sorry." He shuffled his feet a bit, then offered, "You can always come by my house, though. My mom's the best cook in all Balamb!"

"Ma Dincht really is," Raijin agreed. "All the kids go by her place for lunch, ya know! We could eat there before going back to Garden." He looked hopefully towards Seifer and Squall.

The two orphans traded looks, neither really certain how to feel about going by Zell's house. Finally, Squall said, "Why not?" and Seifer nodded.

The four started towards Zell's place, the youngest blond asking, "I don't suppose you know where the others ended up?"

"The guy who adopted Irvy was wearing a Galbadian uniform," Seifer offered.

"Colonel Gregory Kinneas," Squall supplied. At Seifer's surprised look, he added, "I looked it up after we got to Garden."

"How'd you know who to look for?" Seifer demanded. "He never gave his name. Least, not where I heard."

"He wore a little pin with G. Kinneas on it," Squall explained, shrugging.

Seifer grunted in understanding.

"How'd you even get into the Galbadian registry, though?" Raijin asked. "It's a million times locked and stuff, ya know?"

"I hacked it." Squall shrugged. "It only took me twenty minutes."

"You..." Raijin shook his head, half disbelieving, half amused. "Genius."

Seifer laughed and dropped an arm over Squall's shoulders, carefully situating himself around the gunblade at the younger boy's hips. "Sometimes, Squally, I love your evil genius."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Really, Galbadia's systems aren't that impressive."

Zell shook his head, not completely certain what they were going on about, and shoved open the door to his house. "Ma! I brought friends!"

Ma Dincht stepped from the kitchen with a fond smile, which widened when she recognised the guests. "Raijin, always good to have you by. And, hm..." She considered the other two boys for a moment, then nodded. "Squall and Seifer, right?"

Zell flushed when the two orphans shot him amused look. "I, uhm, might have explained who everyone in that photo was. Once or twice."

"Sure you did, Chicken-Head."

Squall snorted. "Play nice, or I'm taking your new toy back."

Seifer grimaced and touched the strap over his chest that Pistol hung from. "Sure thing, _Dad_."

Zell burst out laughing at that and led the way into the living room while Ma Dincht finished lunch.

-0-

Zell had only been at Garden for two weeks and he'd already heard more _about_ Squall than he'd ever heard _from_ the boy in the four years they'd lived together at the orphanage. Squall was considered a prodigy by pretty much everyone, and even the snobby rich kids spoke highly of him. Considering that both Seifer and Squall were at the top of their mastery-level classes, Zell thought there might be something to all those rumours.

He hadn't, actually, seen a lot of his pseudo brothers, other than the occasional rushed meal. Raijin said it had something to do with both of them being in the mastery-level, accelerated classes and Headmaster Cid speeding up their preparation for graduation. Zell thought it was a little ridiculous for an eight and nine year old to be preparing for the SeeD exam – another of the Headmaster's ideas; mercenary forces run out of Garden – but there wasn't much he could say about it.

Zell was rather surprised, therefore, when Seifer dropped heavily into the chair next to him in the cafeteria, sans tray, and dropped his head onto the tabletop. "Kill me now," he moaned.

"I told you to refuse the accelerated classes," Squall said, setting a tray in front of his roommate and taking the seat across the table. "Hey, Zell. Rai and Fuu in class?"

Zell nodded. "Yeah. Weaponry, I think. Is Seifer gonna be okay?"

"Eventually," Squall agreed pleasantly and Seifer moaned again. "How are you liking Garden?"

"It's okay. Different from what I expected, but okay," Zell decided. "What's up with these accelerated classes, anyway? Raijin wasn't particularly clear on them and the rumours are all over the place."

Squall sighed and shook his head. "Part of the reason Cid created Garden was to train SeeDs and help control any rising Sorceresses like Adel. Garden Master NORG is the one who funded Garden, but he's running out of finances, which means they need SeeDs sooner, rather than later, to help keep Garden running, especially with Trabia Garden being built and taking some of our resources. Cid wanted to keep the entrance age at fifteen, but he also wants the best of us in SeeD so we can start out with a good name. And, well, Seifer and I are among the best, even though we're not even ten."

"We're not allowed to take the exam until we're ten, anyway," Seifer muttered. "Next spring for me and the year after for Squally." He finally sat up and started in on his food. "I just wish it wasn't such a pain."

"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it," Squall replied, shrugging.

"So says the genius."

"I'm _not_ a genius," Squall insisted. He didn't like it when people insisted his future knowledge was genius. Given, he hadn't _told_ anyone about the memories... But, still. That was like lying, and while he was mostly okay with lying to their classmates, he wasn't comfortable with the posse and his small family from the orphanage thinking such about him.

"Squall, from what I've heard, you're a genius," Zell insisted. "I can't _wait_ to see Quisty's face when she finds out."

Seifer burst out laughing and clapped a hand roughly on Zell's back. "Thanks for that, Chicken-Head. I needed the laugh."

"She's going to be _so upset_ ," Squall muttered, rubbing at his non-existent scar. "Just shoot me now."

"Maybe everyone'll start asking _her_ for tutoring," Seifer suggested through the occasional chuckle. "More free time for Squally."

"Oh, har har." Squall rolled his eyes.

Zell pushed his vegetables around on his tray a bit, then asked, "Are you okay with that? Being mercenaries at ten?" He looked up at them uncertainly, because it wasn't something he could see for himself. Becoming a murderer for hire at fifteen was one thing, but at ten?

"With any luck, Cid will employ some discretion in picking missions for us," Squall commented drily. "If he doesn't, at least our ages will lend an air of innocence to us, making it easier for us to complete our mission."

Zell stared at Squall in disbelief. "What?" he whispered. _'Squall? Did you just... say it didn't matter?'_

"One of the things we're learning in the advanced classes," Seifer offered carefully, "is how to compartmentalise things. So we can keep living like normal kids, no matter what we do on a mission. It's... not pretty, but the GFs help."

"But–"

"It's not the way I'd have chosen to live, if that's what you're asking," Seifer interrupted. "I didn't wake up one morning thinking, 'Hey! I want to kill a man when I'm ten', or anything, but this is where we ended up when everyone else had found their own families. This is the life we got handed, and I intend to see it through to the end." He stood and stalked away from the table with his tray, face a twisted array of disgust and silent pain.

Zell turned to Squall, eyes wide and a little horrified. "Squall?" he whispered.

"We were given the option to remain in the normal programme and graduate at fifteen, but we discussed it and decided to take the accelerated route," Squall said quietly. "It's not the best life, but we're both orphans and there are no parents to talk us out of this or support us through another seven or eight years of Garden. If we want a chance to make something of ourselves, this is it." He stood with his tray. "I'm not, officially, tutoring anyone right now, but if you need any help with your classes or just want to visit with us, Seifer and I are usually up pretty late, working on things for class."

Zell turned back to his tray as Squall moved away, his eyes burning with the need to cry. It wasn't fair that the moment he got part of his family back, they had to leave him. He liked Garden fine, but he sort of wished it had never come to be. Maybe, then, they could all still be playing down at the beach, laughing and setting off fireworks. He wanted _that_ life back.

-0-

"Squall, I'm _tired_ ," Seifer complained as he followed the brunet down the halls of Garden towards the Training Centre. They hadn't gone to bed until particularly late that night because one of their instructors had a mean streak, but Squall had a schedule for weekend training, and he wasn't about to let a late night keep him in bed. Seifer knew that, but complaining made him feel better.

"The exam is in two weeks," Squall replied evenly, not showing even the faintest hint of being sleepy.

"I hate you," Seifer informed him. "I don't care about the exam, I care about _sleep_. I know sleep is a foreign concept to you–"

Squall snorted in amusement. "I know what sleep is."

"Could have fooled me."

"Do you know what 'exam in two weeks' means?"

"I'll make it fine," Seifer muttered. "But if I'm _exhausted_ during it, I might well fail. So, again, do you know what 'sleep' means?"

"I promise I'll let you sleep in before the exam," Squall said, rolling his eyes. "Hyne forbid you don't look your best while going out to kill things."

"They deserve to have the last thing they see be a well-dressed and well-rested ten-year-old, not some scraggly brat in his pyjamas."

Squall snorted and shook his head. "You've been in a better mood since you got Ifrit. Even if you _are_ still a nightmare to drag out of bed." He brought them to a halt, deciding they'd reached a good spot to spar in.

Seifer stretched a bit, grinning at the thought of his newest GF. "That's 'cause Ifrit is awesome. You should junction him." In the back of his mind, Ifrit gave a violent refusal.

Squall shuddered. "No."

Seifer laughed and pulled out Pistol. "Come on, Squally. Show me what you've got."

Squall drew Revolver in a motion that Seifer only caught because he'd been looking for it, then the younger boy was on him, obnoxiously fast in spite of the heavy blade he wielded. The first time Seifer had faced off against Squall's speed, he'd been completely thrown for a loop and almost lost his head, but he was mostly used to it, by now. He couldn't keep up with Squall, and he wasn't always certain where the other gunblader was, but he could spot the flash of Revolver before it was too late and bring Pistol around or duck before Squall could land a hit.

Seifer thought it was a little unfair, sometimes, that Squall was the younger of the two of them, because he was _so ready_ to be a SeeD. He was everything a SeeD was supposed to be and he'd been ready since they got to Garden to take on the mantle, even if neither of them had known what that mantle was at the time. Instead, Seifer would be making SeeD in a couple months and leaving Squall behind to sit through classes and train alone. A part of him almost wanted to screw up during the exam, just so Squall wasn't alone for a year, but his pride wouldn't let him purposefully lose this chance.

Seifer was just distracted enough by his thoughts that he didn't see the flash of sliver until it was in his face and the only thing he could do was try to duck it. The touch of steel still bit into his flesh and he gasped quietly at the pain, bringing a hand up to cover it. "Ow! Fucking hell, Squall!"

Squall didn't answer, touching a gentle finger against a mirrored cut on his own face that Seifer's flailing blade had dealt him when he'd jumped back, surprised at what he'd done. It took a moment for the reality to sink in and then Squall was fighting the urge to laugh. _'Oh, the **irony**. And, this time, **I'm** the one who started it. Pity Quisty isn't here to yell at me for scarring my training partner.'_

"Squall? You okay?" Seifer asked, finally realising that there was a reason Squall wasn't worrying over him more.

Squall nodded and wiped the edge of Revolver against his pants to clean off the specks of blood before sheathing it. "We should go see Kadowaki before she hunts us down and straps us to beds."

Seifer winced at the thought, then had to fight another wince at the pain that motion caused. "Ugh, good point." He wiped Pistol off and slipped it over his back before following Squall from the Training Centre, dabbing at his cut with the collar of his t-shirt.

Squall glanced over at him, ignoring his own new wound. "Sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to do that."

Seifer shook his head. "I was distracted, so it was my fault too. You sure you're okay? I don't even remember catching you."

"It's nothing a potion won't fix," he promised. "What had you so distracted that you couldn't duck, anyway? The only time I've got that close to you in the past was the first time."

Seifer shrugged. "The exam."

"Are you worried about it?" Squall asked, realising he hadn't actually asked that. Sure, the topic of the exam had been all that most of Garden could talk about for months, but Squall hadn't actually turned to Seifer and asked if he was worried about his first mission, exam or not.

Seifer considered that for a moment, then admitted, "A little. I mean, it's sort of a big deal, and everyone's expecting we'll do really well, but..." He frowned a bit, biting back another wince at the cut pulled.

"But?" Squall repeated when Seifer was quiet for too long.

"This is going to sound ridiculously childish," Seifer warned him.

Squall snorted. "Seifer, you're ten. What is it?"

Seifer bit back another wince at that point; sometimes, especially with Squall as a best friend and most of his classes being with older teens, he felt much older than ten. "I don't... like the idea of going on this mission without you. Or leaving you alone for a year, retaking the same stupid classes."

Squall frowned at that, but they were already at the infirmary and Kadowaki had caught sight of them, giving him no chance to answer.

"What is this? What have you two done now?" She grabbed a chin in each hand and scowled at their wounds. "Giving children blades. Honestly. Fine, both of you go sit on the bed. Go, go."

Seifer and Squall moved together to hop up onto the bed she'd pointed at, sitting still as she cleaned and healed their cuts.

"It's going to scar," Kadowaki warned them. "Healing this close to your eyes is tricky, so you'll have to make do with a simple potion." She stepped back and considered her handiwork with a pleased look. "Good. No more training today."

"But the exam is in two weeks!" Seifer complained.

"You should have thought about that before you hit each other," Kadowaki said with no sympathy. "Go read a book. Or spend time with your friends." She turned and started back towards her desk. "You're both free to go."

"This sucks," Seifer muttered once the door of the infirmary had closed behind them.

"You could go back to bed, now," Squall offered, mind turning back to Seifer's earlier confession.

"But I'm _awake_ , now."

"I won't be alone," Squall announced, glancing over at Seifer. "Rai and Fuu and Zell are here. And you'll be around between missions."

Seifer frowned, trying to connect the non sequitur in his mind. "Wha– Oh. Well, yeah, I suppose." He shrugged. "It just won't be the same, that's all."

"We probably wouldn't end up on a lot of the same missions, anyway," Squall pointed out with all the wisdom of the SeeD Commander in his memories. "They'd want to split their resources, keep their only two gunbladers separate. I mean, sure, we've got different strengths, but especially with our ages, they'll probably keep us apart."

Seifer sighed. "I suppose. I told you it was childish."

Squall shook his head and quietly admitted, "I'll miss you, too."

Seifer smiled at him.

-0-

Seifer wasn't sure how he felt as he left the Headmaster's office. On one hand, he'd fucked up and a team member had almost been killed because he'd refused to listen to orders. On the other hand, he had another year to spend with Squall and Fujin and Raijin. And Chicken-Head.

But, still... he'd failed, and that _stung_.

A large group was waiting around the lift on the first floor and Seifer let the others go first, all but Seifer and one other having made SeeD. The other student and Seifer walked out together, looking away from the celebrations going on around the stairs.

"Seifer!" Raijin shouted.

Seifer steeled himself against the pity he knew he'd find – or the mocking smile of Zell, knowing the Chicken-Head – but the first person he really saw was Squall, expression calm and without judgement. He'd already known the outcome before Seifer had stepped from the lift, and he didn't judge or pity him, he just... was.

"You'll get it next year," Zell said with certainty, and Seifer finally looked over the other three and found that same lack of pity that he'd seen in Squall's expression. They all looked determined, almost, like they would _push_ him during the coming year until he could graduate next year as a SeeD.

"Yeah," he whispered against the block in his throat.

"LUNCH!" Fujin insisted.

"We've been waitin' for your return to eat, ya know?" Raijin agreed. "Squall talked the lunch ladies into packin' us a _big_ lunch to eat in your room, ya know? In case you didn't wanna eat in the cafeteria."

Seifer nodded, grateful for Squall's forethought, and they pushed through the celebratory crowd at the top of the stairs, Seifer ignoring the mocking calls of their fellow cadets and new SeeDs alike. An icy look from Squall went a long way to shutting the lot of them up, and Seifer couldn't help but wonder what good he'd done in a past life to gain such an amazing friend. That wasn't to say that Fujin and Raijin weren't awesome in their own rights, but Squall had the icily friendly aura down to an art and no one dared cross him. Plus, he was a fucking genius, and always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else, expecting the unexpected without even seeming to try.

The spread was pretty impressive, with a little of everyone's favourites, and they all sat together on the floor of Squall and Seifer's room to eat. Things were a little awkward at first, but then Zell started the time-honoured bitching about his least favourite instructor and Raijin immediately joined in. After a good ten minutes of trying to be down, Seifer gave in and started in on _his_ least favourite instructor and it sort of devolved from there into a contest to see who could come up with the worst nicknames for their instructors.

Two hours or so later, the others had left to finish the last of their end-of-year exams, leaving the two advanced students to clean up the mess and relax a bit.

"Cid said," Seifer started after a good fifteen minutes of uneasy silence, "that maybe ten is too young for SeeD."

Squall shrugged. "It is," he offered. When Seifer shot him a wounded look, he hurried to add, "I'm not saying you should stop trying, Seifer, just that ten is a bit young to formally join a mercenary force. I was as surprised as everyone else that Cid even _suggested_ allowing us to train, given our ages. But..." He shrugged. "If anyone can manage, it's us. I think so, at least."

"...I don't like following orders," Seifer admitted. "Nguyen told us when we were dropped off that we needed to stay with our squads in our designated areas, but there were a couple monsters sneaking through a back street and I saw them. I had to go stop them and–"

"You left your squad behind," Squall finished for him. "They expected you to be there when another attack came, and you weren't."

Seifer looked away. "Maret almost _died_. She'd been expecting me to cover her back and I wasn't there. If Akers hadn't come to her rescue..."

Squall shook his head. "In an exam situation, follow your orders first," he suggested with a firm tone, "because _that's_ what you're being graded on. In the real world, you might have to change things a bit as the situation changes, but even then, you have to remember the order of importance."

"Squad, client, civilians, military," Seifer recited, sick of the list they'd had beat into their minds over the past year. "I know that. But what if–?"

"Squad, client, civilians, military," Squall repeated, a cold spark of chastisement in his eyes. "It doesn't matter if there's a small child being mauled down the street, you ensure the safety of your squad and client before you rescue that child."

"I don't know that I could just stand back and watch a child _die_ ," Seifer hissed, chilled at Squall's heartless statement. He knew this was the life they'd chosen, but to say it so bluntly?

Squall's expression softened. "No, we're humans, not machines," he agreed. "If you absolutely _must_ leave your squad, let them know. That way, they'll know not to expect you to back them up, and they can watch your back while you're rescuing the kid. You didn't tell anyone you were going after those monsters, did you?"

"No," Seifer admitted, wincing at his own oversight. He _knew_ better, which was part of why it stung so badly. "I didn't think there was time."

"There's always time," Squall told him. "If it was Rai and Fuu and me in your squad instead of those pricks, would you have left without a word?"

"No," Seifer said with certainty. "But you or Fuu would notice before I could get far, anyway."

Squall rolled his eyes, but allowed that it was true; Fujin had impressive spatial awareness, and Squall had honed his own knowledge of his surroundings so that he always knew where his team members were, but most squads wouldn't have people like that. "Assuming Fuu and I were suddenly blind and dumb, then, you wouldn't run off without leaving _some_ indication that you were off to cause trouble, correct?"

"I think I'd be more worried about the blind and dum–"

"Seifer, humour me," Squall requested, rubbing his finger along his scar.

Seifer opened his mouth to answer, only to pause in recognition. He hadn't seen Squall make that particular motion since their training accident, and it was only now that he realised the significance of the gesture. "That... You've done that, before," he said, pointing to Squall's hand.

Squall froze and, very slowly, lowered his hand to give Seifer a blank look. "If you say so," he replied blandly.

Seifer shook his head. "You've done it for years, though. Always that same path. Just like that scar."

Squall touched his scar, thoughts flashing behind eyes turned grey by his hidden emotions. "When I was four," he allowed, "I saw the ghost of a man who had a scar just like mine. The image stayed with me."

"You never said anything about it!"

Squall's lips twitched with a suppressed smile. "I told Irvy and Selph and Quisty. Quisty told me to stop making things up, but Selph and Irvy thought it was awesome. Didn't tell you because you were being a jerk about Sis leaving, and I was afraid Zell would start crying if I told him." He shook the memory of his childhood away and pinned Seifer with a sharp gaze. "Hypothetical situation: Rai, Fuu, you, and I are all in the same squad. You see something you want to attend to away from us – a mauled child, perhaps – but neither Fuu or I will notice if you leave. What do you do?"

Seifer sighed and obediently left all thoughts about Squall's claim of a ghost behind. "Hypothetically?" he asked and Squall nodded. Seifer considered that for a moment, seeing the situation in his mind and considering all the possibilities, even though he already knew the answer. "I'd get the attention of whichever of you was closest and point towards the kid. Then go to help."

Squall nodded again. "Good. From now on, imagine your team members are the three of us – or however many of us are there – and keep in mind that we _won't_ notice you leaving. You wouldn't leave us without warning, not even to save some kid, so maybe you won't leave your squad without warning if you think of them like they're us." He met Seifer's thoughtful gaze. "Does that help?"

Seifer nodded. "Maybe. I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Hm." Squall leaned back in his chair, resting on the two back legs. "I suppose that's all I can hope for right now. Maybe we'll luck out next year and we'll be in the same squad. That should drive the point home."

Seifer grinned at that. "Don't lose your balance," he teased. "It's a long way to the floor."

"You would know," Squall shot back, eyes lighting with pleasure at the friendly reminder of their past.

Seifer chuckled. "I haven't fallen out of a chair since we were kids."

"We're still kids."

Seifer's smile darkened. "Doesn't feel like it, sometimes."

Squall shrugged. "No," he agreed, "it doesn't. But we're still kids in the eyes of the world. Scary kids with the training and will to murder on order, but still children." He shrugged. "Will you be okay?"

Seifer took a moment to consider that, then nodded. "Yeah. I don't like that I screwed up, but I'm glad I'll be around for another year. Is that okay?"

Squall offered him the faintest of smiles. "Yeah."

"Then I'll be just fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They grow up so fast! *sniffles*  
> Yeah, the whole make Squally and Seifer SeeD at ten was sort of a surprise to me, too. But there's only so much I can write about during the intervening years. I'm glad I got the scars in there, though. Even if they _are_ completely out of time. ^.^"


	4. Orphans and Widows

"Yo! Quisty!"

Quistis looked up tiredly from her heavy bag, which she'd dropped to the ground for the sixth time since entering Garden. She was immeasurably glad to be away from her adopted family and their overbearing perfection, and she hoped Garden wouldn't have any of the same jerks from her old school who liked to bully her for being clever. _'I guess it's not...to...'_ Her eyes widened as she recognised the boy who'd called her name. "Zell?"

Zell was still the same obnoxiously bouncy kid that he'd been at four, when he left, but seeing him warmed Quistis' heart and she managed the first smile in what felt like years as he ran forward and wrapped her in a hug. "It's good to see you again," he said against her shoulder.

Quistis tightened her arms around him. "Oh, Zell... I've missed you so much!"

Zell laughed a bit and pulled back, running a quick hand across too-bright eyes. "Me too, Quis. Here, let me take your bag..." He leaned down and hefted it without a glimpse of the struggle Quistis had with it and she huffed, making him laugh. "How many rocks did you put in here?" he wondered teasingly. "Come on, dorms are this way."

"There aren't any rocks," Quistis muttered. "I didn't know you were at Garden."

"Not just me," Zell replied, grinning. "Squall and Seifer are here, too."

"Oh dear." Quistis sighed while Zell laughed again. "Seifer's not being too much of a brat, is he?"

Zell shook his head. "A little bit, but he's grown up a lot. He still calls me names, and he likes pissing people off, but he's a little better. All that time with Squall around helped, I think."

"What about Squall? Is he still quiet and prone to go off on his own for hours on end?" Quistis wondered, looking with some trepidation towards the crowds they were approaching.

"A bit, yeah." Zell chuckled a bit nervously. "But he's... I dunno, Quis. You'll have to see him to believe it. He's a genius."

Quistis raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Squall? He's smart, sure, but he's no genius," she insisted. But a part of her remembered the tone he would sometimes speak in, when he spoke, and how much more mature he'd sounded. How he sometimes used words that even Quistis had to look up late at night, bothered by not knowing something.

"Aww... You found a girlfriend finally, Dincht?" a nasty voice wondered from just behind the two friends.

The two kids turned to find a burly teenager smirking down at them. "Oh, go away, O'Neil," Zell replied, scowling at one of the bullies of Garden. There weren't a lot of them, but with the first class of SeeDs graduating and many of the older kids having been looked over, they had started coming out of the woodwork and taking it out on the younger cadets. It didn't help that Squall and Seifer were practically the apples of Cid's eyes and the SeeD age limit was being bent for them. The bullies wouldn't dare cross the two advanced students, but Zell, Fujin and Raijin were all game, so far as the bullies were concerned.

O'Neil's smile faded a bit, taking on a dark cast that had Zell dropping Quistis' bag and getting between her and the bully with fists raised. "Aw, that's so cute," O'Neil cooed. "Her knight in dull armour."

"Is there a problem?" a new voice asked, a note of warning slicing right through the tension.

O'Neil paled as he turned to see Squall and Seifer standing behind him, sweaty from the Training Centre. "No, no problem at all. Dincht and I were just having a little heart-to-heart."

Squall nodded slowly, eyes cold. "Sure you were. O'Neil, keep your 'heart-to-heart's away from our friends or I'll send you to Kadowaki in pieces. Clear?"

"Yeah, clear," O'Neil breathed.

"And if _I_ catch you again, I'll just forget to send you to Kadowaki at all," Seifer added cheerfully, eyes sharp with murderous intent. "Now, scram."

O'Neil turned and fled past Zell and Quistis, not sparing another glance for the two kids. Quistis just sort of blinked disbelievingly at the two gunbladers, but Zell grinned and called, "Squall! Seifer! Guess who I found?" He stepped to the side, revealing Quistis.

"Quisty!" Seifer exclaimed, eyes lighting with mischief as he stepped forward to hug her. "My favourite not-quite sis–"

Squall grabbed Pistol's sheath and pulled Seifer back. "Go take a shower before you hug her, you ass. Hi, Quisty."

Quistis shook her head. "Squall, Seifer. You two look..." She shook her head again. "Good. What's with the, uhm..." She motioned to her own nose.

"Training accident," the three boys chorused.

Zell grinned. "They won't give a more descriptive reason, but they did it to each other. Kadowaki couldn't heal it properly 'cause it's too close to their eyes. Somethin' like that."

" _Exactly_ like that, Chicken-Head," Seifer retorted. "Hey, Squally, I think he's getting smarter!"

"Imagine that," Squall replied drily as he stepped forward to pick up Quistis' dropped bag, showing as much difficulty with it as Zell had. "What room are you in?"

"Oh! One thirty-three."

"That's right next to Fuu," Seifer said as Squall took the lead and they all fell in behind him. "Squall and I are one oh four, and the Chicken-Head is sharing with Rai in one twenty-eight."

"Rai and Fuu are our other friends," Zell explained for Quistis' benefit. "Seifer and Squall met them before I got here and they're all really close. Rai's from Balamb, though, so I knew him before Garden."

"You ended up in Balamb?" Quistis asked, eyes bright with the chance to learn more about her quasi-siblings. "I ended up in Dollet. What about you two, Squall? Seifer?"

Seifer shrugged. "We never got adopted. We came straight to Garden three years ago."

Quistis drooped a bit. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Here we are," Squall interrupted, stopping in front of an open room. "Boys aren't allowed in the girls' rooms and vice versa," he added when Quistis looked curious about why he was standing outside still.

"Not that Seifer ever listens to that rule," Zell added with a grin.

"I only do it 'cause it ticks Andrea off," Seifer defended. "I dunno why Fuu's still rooming with that bitch..."

A dark head popped out of the room they were standing in front of and zeroed in on Quistis. "You must be my new roommate!" she called, stepping past Squall without really seeing him and holding out a hand to shake. "I'm Xu Han."

"Quistis Trepe," Quistis replied, taking the offered hand with a small smile.

Xu flashed her a smile, then took note of the others standing around. She shot Seifer a disgusted look, which he returned with a grin, then turned and smiled at Squall. "Hey, Squall. Are you going to start tutoring again this year?"

Squall shrugged. "Maybe? It depends on what sort of schedule they set us up on, assuming they ever tell us." He traded tiredly amused looks with Seifer before looking back at the older girl. "You're still having trouble with Survival?"

Xu nodded. "And Weaponry. Guns and throwing knives I can handle fine, but I can't figure out swords or hand-to-hand to save my life."

Squall considered that for a moment. "Seifer and I are in the Training Centre every weekend before lunch. If you join us, I can help you with swords. Hand-to-hand isn't really my forte, though. Hey, Zell?"

Zell perked up, always happy when Squall referred to his hand-to-hand skills, especially since Squall was the one who suggested he take it up. "Yeah?"

"He's the best hand-to-hand combatant I know," Squall told Xu as the girl considered the blond standing easily next to Seifer.

Xu smiled. "You're in Material Sciences with me, aren't you?"

Zell grimaced at the reminder of his worst class. He'd have completely failed out of it if Squall hadn't taken time out of his evenings twice a week to tutor him. "Yeah, that's me."

"Do you have anything after that class?"

Zell took a moment to mentally consider his schedule for the new year. "On Thursdays, yeah, but I'm free on Tuesdays, if you wanna go from class to the Training Centre?"

"That would be great!" Xu decided, her whole expression brightening. She paused for a moment, realising something, then asked, "What sort of reimbursement do you want? I pay Squall five gil an hour..."

Zell waved that off, not comfortable asking for money when it involved something he liked doing anyway. And, unlike Squall, he had parents who sent him money every other week, so funds had never been a problem for him. "Maybe you could help me a bit in Material Sciences? I'm really bad with it, and I can't keep dependin' on Squall to help me out, not if he's gonna be gone all the time next year."

Xu nodded. "Sure thing." She looked back at Squall. "You'll let me know?"

"Of course," Squall promised, finally setting the bag he'd been holding down. "We'll leave you and Quisty to make friends."

Xu looked momentarily surprised as she turned to her new roommate. "You know each other from before Garden?"

"We were at an orphanage together," Zell agreed as he offered Quistis a half-hug. "Feel free to join us for dinner, Quis. You too, Xu. The more, the merrier, right?" He grinned.

"Hyne save me from Chicken-Heads," Seifer muttered, rolling his eyes. "See ya, Quisty, Han. Come on, Squally."

Squall offered a brief wave as he followed his roommate back down the hall to their room. Zell followed after them at an easy pace, leaving the two girls to get to know one another.

Quistis carefully picked her bag back up and followed Xu into their room. "Squall tutors people?" she wondered.

Xu nodded. "Yeah. He's been doing it since before I got here, and when I was having a hard time in Survival, a couple of the upper years pointed me towards him. He couldn't do any tutoring last year, though, 'cause he was in the accelerated SeeD programme. Still is, technically, but he couldn't graduate with the others last month 'cause he wasn't old enough, so they're trying to figure out what to do with him, Almasy, and Sung Liew for the year until they can take the exam again."

"I thought you couldn't graduate to SeeD until you're fifteen?"

"Normally, sure," Xu agreed. "This is your bedroom, by the way. But, well, they _really_ need the money SeeDs are supposed to generate through their missions, so they set up an accelerated programme for the best of the best and made the cut-off age ten. Almasy and Liew failed the exam for one reason or another, and Squall's not old enough until this year. Poor planning on the Headmaster's part, but I suppose he didn't really think it through." She shrugged. "Rumour has it Squall was still tutoring Zell, Natsuki, and Nakai last year, even though he was really busy, so he'd probably tutor you too, even if he's busy. Assuming that's what you're worried about?"

Quistis shook her head. "No, not really. It's just..." She frowned a bit. "Squall never seemed really smart when we were kids. He kept to himself a lot, especially after Sis left, so maybe he was just hiding it. I dunno."

Xu shrugged again. "He was already known as the smartest person in Garden by the time I got here, so I don't know how it was when they all first arrived. Maybe he just had a natural talent that wasn't obvious until he got here? I suppose you could ask him. Or Almasy. Those two are, like, the absolute best of friends. You almost never see one of them without the other, and they even chose to specialise in the same weapons."

Quistis sighed and turned her attention to unpacking her things. Knowing Seifer, pulling stories of the past out of him would be like pulling teeth, especially if he and Squall were as close as Xu said they were. And wasn't that an odd thought? Squall and Seifer had never seemed like friend material. _'But, then again, I suppose you'd become close to anyone if you're stuck in a new place together. Poor Squall and Seifer. It's not fair that we left them behind. But... I suppose it's okay. They seem to like it here, and they've made some good friends, from the sounds of things...'_

-0-

"This is getting ridiculous," Seifer commented as he and Squall started towards the infirmary. One of the lower years who Squall tutored had come to tell them about a fight between Zell, Quistis, Xu, and one of the upper years who had developed a mean streak concerning the two advanced cadets. "We can't protect them when our class schedules are so different, and beating the fuckers to a pulp after the fact doesn't seem to make them stop."

Squall sighed. "Never mind that getting their names is a chore and a half. I know it's a matter of pride, but we can't help if they won't let us."

"Picking on our friends is just messed up, anyway," Seifer muttered, cracking his knuckles. "What do they think it's going to accomplish?"

Squall shook his head and stepped through the door as it slid open. "Doc Kadowaki."

Kadowaki shook her head. "Cadet Dincht has a broken arm, so I'm keeping him overnight, but Cadets Han and Trepe are free to go."

"Did they say who it was?" Seifer asked, steel in his voice.

"No. And stop giving me more work! Can't you kids solve things peacefully for once?"

Squall ignored the good doctor and his roommate as he poked his head into the room their friends usually ended up in. "Good afternoon," he said drily.

"There ain't nothin' good 'bout this afternoon," Zell spat, waving his left arm around angrily, the right one in a sling against his chest. "Look at me, man! I'm _broken_!"

"You'll heal." Squall turned to Quistis and Xu while Zell fumed. "What happened?"

"It was just a little fight," Quistis said, holding her head up primly. The effect was ruined by the fading bruise around her right eye and the healing split on her bottom lip.

"Come on, Quisty, just tell us who it was," Seifer tried, coming up and standing at Squall's side with a grim smile.

"When has beating them up made any difference?" Xu wondered tiredly. She didn't usually get caught in the cross-fire, since she wasn't particularly close to Squall and her dislike of Seifer was well-known, but it still happened from time-to-time, and she was tired of finding her roommate covered in bruises, as well. "It's a mercenary school, Almasy. These idiots don't care if they get a little beat up."

"I never said anything about 'beating them up'," Seifer replied, eyes flashing with murder. "I was thinking more 'slice them up'."

"We're not killing cadets," Squall muttered, though it was hard for him to stop himself from going out and doing exactly what Seifer was suggesting. He didn't _like_ finding his friends in this state, but killing those that attacked them was not a good way to make SeeD. _'If only Cid hadn't dismissed Security last year when we ran out of money...'_

"I know that look," Zell said, watching as Squall's eyes narrowed, ideas dancing silently behind the sharp blue-grey gaze.

Seifer leaned forward so he could see Squall's expression, then asked, "What've you got, Squally? A way to make the fuckers pay?"

"Something like that," Squall agreed faintly, still thinking. "There wasn't a bullying problem before last winter."

Seifer shrugged. "Well, yeah, Security kept an eye on things and broke fights up."

Squall nodded and turned. "Come on, we're going to see Cid."

"Huh? Wha–? Squall!" Seifer hurried after his roommate as Squall stalked towards the door. "You gotta tell me what you're thinking if you want me on the same page."

Quistis and Xu offered quick goodbyes to Zell before hurrying after the two gunbladers, curious about what Squall had in mind.

Squall was determinedly silent until they were in the lift and he'd punched in the code for the administrative floor. "We don't have the money for a security force, and the instructors and faculty don't have the ability to hand out any punishments other than some extra homework or a note in a student's file. Security could put a student on probation or get them kicked out, and that, more than the possibility of getting smacked with a baton, was what kept everyone in line."

Seifer's eyes narrowed as he caught on. "You want to make a student-run security force with the same abilities to punish wrong-doers?"

"Yes."

"But who would lead it? And not abuse the position?" Quistis asked as the lift doors opened. Both she and Xu paused for a moment, never having been on the third floor before and uncertain if they were allowed.

"Come on," Seifer ordered, grabbing Quistis' arm and pulling her out onto the blue carpet. Xu hurried to follow and they all fell in around Squall as he stepped towards Cid's secretary.

The secretary smiled pleasantly. "Hello, cadets. Do you have a meeting scheduled?"

"No," Squall replied drily. "If you'd please let the Headmaster know Cadets Leonhart and Almasy are here, I'm sure he'll see us."

"One moment," the secretary agreed before standing and slipping into Cid's office.

"Who would lead it?" Quistis repeated, touching Squall's arm.

"Seifer and myself," Squall replied. "We can sort out what will happen next year over the spring holiday."

The door of the office opened again and the secretary smiled out at them. "The Headmaster will see you, cadets."

Squall and Seifer led the way in, Quistis and Xu uncertainly bringing up the back. "Hello, boys," the Headmaster called with a smile as the door closed behind the four students.

Quistis' eyes widened in surprise as she recognised the smile of the man behind the desk. _'Uncle Cid!'_ She'd never actually _seen_ the Headmaster before, and it hadn't even crossed her mind that the man was her quasi-uncle, especially since neither Squall nor Seifer referred to him as such. Though, she supposed she knew, now, why they'd never used the man's title of 'Headmaster' like they should have.

"We have a proposition for you," Seifer offered, falling comfortably into one of the chairs in front of Cid's desk while Squall sat in the one next to him.

Cid was distracted by the two girls still standing uncertainly near the door. "Quistis, it's good to see you again. Have a seat, both of you. Please."

"It's good to see you too, Uncle Cid," Quistis whispered as she led the way over to the other two chairs and sunk into one. Next to her, Xu stared with wide eyes at her roommate as she took her own seat.

"Cid," Squall interrupted, a note of impatience in his voice.

Cid sighed and turned fond eyes on his two favourite students. "This has to do with the bullying?" he wondered, a sad note in his voice. He'd noticed the faint bruising around Quistis' eye and the rip in the shoulder of Xu's uniform. "I've already told you that I can't hire more Security staff or give the instructors and faculty the power to expel the students." There was too much chance that the faculty, specifically, would wrongfully punish students for minor infractions just because they could. The faculty were under NORG's control, anyway, as were most of the instructors, and giving the greedy Shumi control over the students was a very bad idea.

"We know that," Seifer replied, shaking his head. "Squall suggested a student-run group headed by him and myself. We could keep tabs on those students who bully their peers and bring ideas for punishment to you. Final decision is your call, like it was for Security, but we'd have the power to give warnings and they'd have the knowledge that we're reporting to you."

Cid considered that. He knew Squall and Seifer were a force to be feared among cadets and SeeDs alike, but they could only do so much as students, and this wasn't the first time one or both boys had come to him about the bullying problem. They hadn't always had the names of the culprits, though, and for all that Cid was the Headmaster, NORG could still veto him kicking out any student whose parents were a financial backer, especially if it was only student complaints. But he hadn't been able to veto Security's reports, and if Cid could set this new group up the same way...

He pulled a couple forms out of his drawer, smile grim. "What do you want to call your group?"

Both boys smirked while the two girls looked up in surprise. "The Disciplinary Committee," Squall said with certainty.

Cid nodded and scrawled that in the blank line for an official school club. "You two as the leaders... Do you know who will be in your group?"

Squall and Seifer traded looks, then both looked over at the two girls. "I'm in," Quistis replied to the unasked question, Xu nodding next to her.

"Quistis Trepe, Xu Han, Zell Dincht, Raijin Nakai, and Fujin Natsuki," Squall said.

"You sure the others will want to?" Seifer asked quietly.

"Yes."

Seifer nodded and leaned back in his chair. "We can figure out next year's leadership next year, and we'll let you know if we get any other members."

Cid nodded as he finished filling out the form and slid it across the desk with a pen while he started on a second copy. "Squall, Seifer, sign that to acknowledge you're aware of Garden policy concerning the conduct expected of official clubs. It's your job to keep your club members in line, but they don't have to read over those rules themselves."

Both boys nodded as they read over the form together and signed. When Cid was done with the second copy, they signed that as well, then passed both forms back for Cid to sign. One form was theirs to keep, the other would be filed in Cid's office.

"I'll make the official announcement during the evening meal. You might have some trouble with the faculty, but tell them to come to me about it," Cid offered as he turned to file his copy.

"When is a good time to come by and let you know about any trouble students?" Seifer asked as Squall folded their copy of the form and slipped it into a pocket. They had a safe-box in their room they could leave it in once they got down there.

"How about a meeting over lunch on Fridays?" Cid suggested. "And if you have a desperate problem, just come up and see me like you usually do." He shot the two boys a look of fond exasperation.

"Thank you, Cid," Squall said, standing.

Cid smiled and pulled over the papers he'd been reading through when the group came in, leaving the four students to see themselves out.

"I'll go see if I can't find Fuu and Rai," Seifer suggested as they headed towards the lift. "We can meet up in the infirmary to discuss everything with the Chicken-Head."

Squall nodded.

-0-

"I feel dirty," Jordan Farrar said as he jumped off the train. "I haven't even _done_ anything yet."

"Don't talk about it in the city unless you want a riot on our hands," Squall muttered as he and Seifer stepped away from the train and the door clicked shut behind him. "Timber's unsteady enough without us making things worse."

Seifer grunted and checked his watch. "We've got a good five hours before we need to be in position. Anything good to do in this town?"

"Most people don't stay long enough to write travel books about it," Jordan replied, motioning for them to move away from the platform.

"We could raid the Timber Maniacs building for anything good to read," Squall suggested, schooling his expression to look more like an excited child out in a new city for the first time. He also absently reached back to check that his backpack was securely closed. Gunblades were too obvious and large for a covert mission like this exam, which meant both he and Seifer were carrying alternative weapons, including some guns and a collapsible sword. Any of those weapons getting seen would immediately cast suspicion on them. And Squall was paranoid.

Seifer snorted. "Seriously? Do you ever think about anything _but_ reading?"

"You actually expect me to tell you and chance Matron finding out about my naughty, naughty thoughts?" Squall replied as a couple townies gave the three boys distrustful looks.

Jordan rolled his eyes, taking on the role of older child taking his two charges out for a stroll like it was a second nature. "You do _not_ have naughty thoughts, kid. Now, if Matron were to find out what _I_ thought about all day..."

"Girls," Seifer and Squall chorused.

Jordan shot them a scowl over his shoulder. "Brats."

They did end up going to the Timber Maniacs building and shifting through the stacks of back issues, and the chief editor was happy to waste an hour or so of their time talking about the 'old days'. By the time they walked back out the front door, they only had two hours left to wait.

"There was a pet shop," Seifer offered around a yawn, "over by where we disembarked, wasn't there?"

"I think so, yeah." Jordan shrugged, glancing up as another team of exam students passed by, but otherwise not making any motions towards them. "Matron doesn't allow pets, though."

"Rai's startin' a bug collection," Seifer offered. "I thought I'd check and see what they've got."

"His roommate must _love_ that," Jordan muttered, taking the lead in heading back towards the station.

"Some things were thrown," Squall agreed with an uncharacteristic smile. "Zell's not too bad about it, though. As long as Rai keeps his bugs on his bed and away from Zell's, they should be okay."

"Zell is a braver man than I," Jordan declared, stopping just out of range of the pet shop front door and motioning the younger two boys forward. "If it's all the same, I'll stay out here. Allergic to dogs. Don't cause any trouble, or Matron'll have my head."

"We're absolute _angels_ ," Seifer informed the teenager as he held the door open for Squall.

Jordan snorted in response and wandered over towards the novelty shop next door to see what they had to offer.

The pet shop didn't have any bug containers, but Jordan was told about a nice restaurant near the TV Station's main entrance that stayed open fairly late, so the three boys made their way over there and settled in with a light meal to make derisive comments about the Galbadian patrols – much to the Timber natives' pleasure – and wait until twenty-one hundred.

Ten minutes 'til, Jordan paid their bill and they made their way towards the Station. Night had fallen, lending them a bit of extra cover, and their presence in the city for the past five hours kept anyone from looking at them particularly distrustfully.

As soon as the doors of the TV Station had closed behind them, all three cadets moved quickly to shift their weapons into more accessible locations. The backpacks were dropped next to the entrance and they all waited until Seifer motioned that it was time before they moved deeper into the building, all three alert for the faintest sounds of other people.

They met up with one of the other teams near the stairs and after a quick conversation completely in the SeeD sign language, it was agreed that the other team would take the second floor while the three boys would take the third. The last team was taking the back alley entrance, which started them on the fourth floor. The first group that found the Timber-based army was supposed to send out the alarm and engage the enemy while the other two groups hurried to assist. With a confirmation of twenty members, there weren't enough normal SeeDs to handle this mission, so the exam had been moved up a month. Nine was a much more reasonable number than six, after all.

As luck would have it, the group was on the third floor and Seifer and Squall left Jordan behind to send the alarm while they slipped carefully forward, their age lending them an extra element of surprise.

"Hey, who let kids in?" one of them said as the two boys appeared in a doorway, their stock of guns and knives just subtle enough to not raise any immediate alarm bells.

"I guess they musta wandered in on their own," another replied, standing and moving towards the boys. "You two lost?"

"I dunno," Seifer said with an innocent look in his eyes even as he drew one of his guns behind his back, "this the New Timber Army?"

"Hey, yeah! But we don't accept kids," the man said with a laugh.

"We're not here to apply," Squall said coldly. "We're here to exterminate you. Do us a favour and don't fight back." Then he was dashing forward with his collapsible blade out and sliding through the nearest man's stomach like butter. Behind him, Seifer and Jordan both started firing while the other two teams stormed the other entrances to the room, effectively trapping the army where they stood.

Within ten minutes, the twenty would-be soldiers lay dead and the nine cadets were walking around, ensuring they were properly dead. Once certain their job had been done, they all retreated back towards their entrance points. They'd all brought a change of clothing to avoid any questions about blood stains and the weapons were hidden away again before they moved back out into the city.

Seifer let out a convincing yawn and slumped slightly, hanging onto Jordan's arm. "I don' wanna go back, yet," he mumbled.

"Matron's gonna have my head for letting you stay out as long as we have," Jordan complained. " 'One more sight' my ass."

"Bad word," Squall pointed out quietly. "You're gonna get your mouth washed out."

Jordan reached out and grabbed the younger boy as he started drifting further away. "Just don't tell Matron and she'll never know."

" 'M not a tat-tale."

Jordan rolled his eyes, secretly amused to see Balamb Garden's two best students acting like kids for the first time he'd ever seen. Of course, the image of Squall disembowelling a man without hesitation while Seifer fired grimly on another soldier would probably stay with him until the day he died; kids or not, Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy were dangerous people to cross.

They managed to catch the last train to Balamb just before it left the station. One of the other teams was already aboard, and the last team would be travelling by car to a small fishing town north of Horizon Bridge, where a boat awaited to take them back to Balamb.

The trip by train was a good seven hours, and also practically empty. The two cadet groups shuffled together in the middle of the empty car and traded notes before all sitting back and catching some rest while they could, cycling which of them was awake and alert to any potential danger, though they doubted there would be any trouble.

By the time they got back to Garden, it was five in the morning and the sun had yet to rise. All the same, Cid was awaiting them by the parking lot entrance, looking as exhausted as the nine students – the team who had travelled by boat had joined them in town – but generally pleased to find them all in one piece. "I've got breakfast in my office," he offered them, receiving tired smiles in response.

The debrief went about how one might expect, with the students talking around their breakfast or having to hurriedly swallow to say their part. The only person who had faltered was fifteen-year-old Angela King, a member of the team who came through the back entrance. She'd got sick in the pub on their way to the station, which had held them up a bit, making her team six minutes late to their post.

Considering that she'd still performed admirably in the battle and hadn't actually slacked in any of her duties, Cid allowed her to graduate to SeeD with all eight other cadets. "After all," Cid said to her grateful smile, "we all get a little sick sometimes. It's only human."

Once the food was gone, they were all dismissed, Cid adding, "Seifer, Squall, could you two stay behind a minute?"

The two boys remained in their chairs, offering faint nods to those who looked back at them in concern. Both of them had been expecting a meeting about the future of the Disciplinary Committee since they'd received their orders the night previous, and getting it out of the way now was no more troublesome than waiting until they'd slept some. Probably less troublesome, really, since they wouldn't have to make the trek back up to the third floor once they'd awoken.

"This is about the DC?" Squall asked as the doors clicked shut.

Cid nodded. "Yes. You can both remain in advisory positions, but there's every chance you'll be out of Garden more than you're in, considering your ranks."

Squall and Seifer had both been given a rank of twenty, which was two ranks above the next highest SeeD. No one had debated the high ranking, not after the two boys had run the Disciplinary Committee for the past year and considering their kill counts in the Training Centre, which were higher separate than any other two students combined. The rest of the exam students had been made rank ten, while King had graciously accepted a rank nine.

Squall and Seifer traded looks, having spent the year observing the DC members and debating who would be best to fill their shoes. "October Ricaforte," Squall announced, looking back towards the Headmaster. "He's planning to take the exam next year, so it will probably only be for this coming year, but we both think he's the most prepared for a position of authority. Maybe Quistis or Xu, once October graduates, but they're just not ready yet."

Cid nodded and leaned forward to change the club form. "Does Cadet Ricaforte know you're giving him the position?"

"We talked about it before we left yesterday morning," Seifer agreed. "He's mostly okay with it, though I think he's a little nervous about having lunch with you, Cid." He grinned.

Cid chuckled and nodded. "I'll break him in slowly, then." He signed his name on both forms, then set them to one side. "Ask him to come up and see me sometime in the coming days to read over and sign the paperwork."

Both boys nodded and stood. "We'll make sure he comes," Seifer promised.

"Also, look out for your first missions in the next few days," Cid added as the boys turned towards the door.

"So soon?" Squall wondered, looking back at the Headmaster with a faint frown. "We still need to move into our new rooms. I mean, it's not like we have all that much stuff, but if we're finalising the DC change at the same time..."

Cid sighed. "I know, but I need you two out there as soon as possible. There's rioting in Deling, again, and the President is seeing assassins hidden in every shadow. Our numbers are too thin as it is, and being as young and unassuming as you two are, you're our best covert operatives. I _need_ you in Galbadia."

"Does that mean we'll be working together?" Seifer asked, unable to completely mask the excitement in his voice.

Cid smiled a bit at that. "Almost certainly."

"Yes!" Seifer grinned and draped an arm across Squall's shoulders in the way he was so fond of doing when he was excited or up to no good. "And Squally thought you'd have us on opposite continents or something."

"I'm sure that'll happen in the future," Cid agreed, laughing as Seifer's smile drooped. "But not for quite some years yet, unless things suddenly change. Alright, go on, boys. I'm sure your friends are staked out around the lift." As they turned back towards the door, he added, "I'll try to give you a couple of days to move into your new rooms, but don't expect any more than three."

"Three will have to do," Squall decided. "Thanks, Cid."

As soon as the lift doors opened on the bottom floor, the two new SeeD found themselves wading through their closest friends, waving away shouts of congratulation and offers of a party.

"Really," Seifer insisted, "we're both dead tired. We're gonna go crash for a couple hours. Maybe we can have a party for lunch?"

"I'll order us the entire stock of cafeteria hot dogs!" Zell shouted, elated.

"Maybe someone else can handle the food," Squall suggested drily.

"What's wrong with hot dogs?"

"Nothing, if you've got a chocobo's ass on your head."

"Would you leave my hair out of this?!"

Laughing, the friends separated to go to bed or breakfast, depending.

"When are we telling them we're leaving in a few days?" Seifer wondered as they entered their room.

"Not until tomorrow," Squall muttered, dropping his bag of weapons next to the table and starting towards his bedroom. "I don't want to ruin their fun quite so soon."

Seifer chuckled and dropped his own bag on his way to his room. "Yeah, whatever. Good night, Squally. See you in six hours or so."

Squall let out a groan and let his door fall closed in response, making Seifer laugh again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the 'New Timber Army' isn't really canon, but I figure those lazy sods must have tried it at some point, and it's not like they've never had an army before – though Galbadia squashed it like a little buggy – so I created it to slaughter it. XD


	5. Close the Last Window

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another slightly OC-heavy chapter. Sorry in advance?

 

"Squall and Seifer?" a woman asked as the two gunbladers got off the train in Deling City.

"That's us," Seifer agreed with a friendly smile. "You must be Lady Gustafson."

The woman smiled and brushed a lock of greying hair out of her eyes before holding out a hand to shake. "Please, call me Christal or Chris. Cid surely told you that?"

"But it's impolite to refer to such a distinguished lady in so informal a manner. Especially by us urchins."

"Orphans are not urchins," Christal informed him, clearly charmed. "Come, I've a car waiting upstairs."

The two boys hefted their weighty bags and fell in behind their host for their stay. Christal and Gregory Gustafson were old friends of the Kramers who avoided the political sphere enough that President Deling found nothing wrong with them. Cid had asked them if they could house a couple of operatives and treat them like sons for the duration of their mission, and while both Gustafsons had been uncertain about children playing in Deling City's dirty sandbox, they were more than willing to treat the two orphans like the children they'd never been able to have.

The ride to the Gustafson manor was quiet enough, with Christal occasionally shooting the two young boys uncertain looks. She was familiar enough with SeeD to dislike that a couple children were going on missions for them, but going to a couple of political functions and gathering information didn't seem too dangerous, really. And they _were_ lovely boys.

Gregory met them at the door with a stern air. "Welcome, boys, to my home. I am Gregory Gustafson, though you may refer to me as Gregory or Greg."

"I'm Seifer Almasy, and this is Squall Leonhart," Seifer replied, offering the man a firm handshake. "Thank you for agreeing to host us for our stay in Deling."

Gregory nodded. "Of course. Chris will show you to your rooms, then perhaps we shall have a sit-down in the receiving room and discuss the way things will go while you're here?"

"That sounds fine," Seifer agreed.

"This way, boys," Christal directed, leading the way up the grand staircase and to the bedrooms that had been made up for the two on the second floor. Once they'd set their bags on the large beds, silently in awe over the spacious living arrangements, they followed Christal back downstairs to the receiving room, where a tea tray had been set out.

Gregory waited until the two boys were seated and had claimed a cup each before stating, "I was given only the briefest of explanations of your mission. Perhaps you would be willing to fill in the blanks?"

"Many of the 'blanks' are for your safety as much as they are for ours," Squall commented drily from behind his cup, "but we can do our best to help clarify some minor things. What all do you know?"

The two Gustafsons traded looks, surprised at both the boy's comment and the businesslike tone to his young voice. "We know that your client is Vinzer Deling and that he has asked for you to collect information on a number of his associates that he fears are out to get him. You'll be posing as our nephews from Trabia and we're to attend a couple parties to 'show you off'."

"That's pretty much all that you need to know," Seifer commented with an easy smile to take the sting out of his words. "If you knew who we were focussing on, you might accidentally let them know they're under watch."

"You can't possibly get that much information from a couple political parties," Christal commented.

"You'd be surprised how much people will let slip around a couple of curious kids," Seifer replied, shaking his head. "Posing as the nephews of a couple who avoid the political world and hail from an uninterested country makes us that much safer to talk to."

"What do you intend to do with the information you gather? Pass it on to Deling, I would think," Gregory said, frowning. "Are Chris and I under surveillance?"

"Would we tell you if you are?" Squall inquired drily.

Seifer sighed. " _No_ , you're not on Deling's watch list. And, yes, we'll be passing everything we learn to him, through secure means. He doesn't know, exactly, who or where we are, only that we're from Garden and staying somewhere in the city." He frowned a bit as a thought occurred to him. "Cid didn't say anything about how unusual it was for you to attend political functions, only that you generally stay out of the lime-light. Will your attending make anyone overly suspicious?"

"No, it shouldn't," Gregory replied, shaking his head. "Deling is almost more suspicious of people who _don't_ attend his little parties, so I usually attend them every few weeks. Chris doesn't often come, but she's been known to on occasion. Bringing children to keep an eye on is a good explanation for her being there."

"Good. The last thing we need is for Deling to start freaking out about a sudden change in your movements." Seifer glanced over at Squall, who shrugged. "Anything else?" the blond asked, looking back at the two adults.

Christal sighed. "One little thing: Do either of you have formal attire?"

Both boys blinked a few times in surprise. They had their SeeD uniforms, which had been left back in their rooms in Garden, but that was about as formal as they got. "Erm, no," Seifer replied. "Just some t-shirts and jeans."

Squall snorted. "I'd blame Cid for the oversight, but I'm guessing he planned it this way."

Christal laughed, eyes bright. "Cid does love his little games. We'll have to take you out and buy you some things to wear, then. How long will you two be here, do you know?"

"As long as it takes," Squall said with certainty. "Anywhere from a month to an entire year."

"Don't you have friends back at Garden?" Christal wondered, worried.

"Sure, but they know we're in this for a while," Seifer replied with a shrug. "They weren't _happy_ about it–" he rubbed at his leg, where Fujin had kicked him when he'd told them they could be in Deling for up to a year, "–but they understand; we knew what we were getting into when we joined Garden."

"We're not completely without the ability to contact them," Squall added when Christal's expression didn't lighten. There were already three other SeeDs in Deling, and any number of the new graduates would be coming and going from the city during their mission and could easily be talked into ferrying messages between the youngest SeeDs and their friends back home. It wasn't really a secret among the fifteen SeeDs that Seifer and Squall were on a long-term mission in Deling, though most of Garden outside of their friends and Cid was unaware of where, exactly, they were, only that they would be gone for a while.

"Yeah. We can trade letters weekly, if we want to. Safer to talk through letters, anyway, with the way Fuu kicks..."

Squall snorted. "You were the idiot who stood right next to her."

"You're just a chicken, Chicken-Head."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Would you like a matching bruise on your other leg?"

"Nah. One is good."

Christal's laughter interrupted them and they looked back at the two adults with faintly sheepish looks. Even Gregory was smiling a bit at them, relieved to see that the boys were capable of still acting like children, in spite of the serious air they exuded. "Perhaps that shopping trip is in order?" he suggested.

"Sounds wonderful," Christal agreed, gracefully rising from her seat. "I'll call the car around. Perhaps we can see about getting you boys some games or toys, too. So you're not bored during the day..."

The two boys traded uncertain looks. Games? Toys? Really?

-0-

"Now there's something I haven't seen in a while," Seifer commented as he slipped into Squall's room, eyeing the journal the brunet was writing in. The outside of the notebook had changed in the years since the orphanage, but the contents remained the same, and Seifer was determined that he'd get to read the damn thing one day.

Squall flipped the notebook closed and pointedly sat on it. "I know better than to write in it where you can see me. What's up?"

Seifer slid onto the huge bed and took a moment to relax back against one of the corner poles, then said, "What do you think about the security?"

Squall settled back against the headboard and considered his answer. They'd been staying with the Gustafsons for a week now and their first party was tomorrow night. While they would be gathering some information at the parties, a large part of their job was to sneak into the homes of their targets so they could observe them in secret while their guard was fully down. Galbadia Garden, which had opened last spring, had created some new technology that would enable them to keep a running tally on their prey without being there, but both planting the bugs and retrieving the information from them required that the boys be able to sneak out of their current residence without raising any alarms.

"I count three guards, the butler, two maids, and the three kitchen staff. The guards appear to be focussed on the front of the manor, the maids and butler all have rooms above or next to the main entrance, and the kitchen staff goes home overnight. The ivy on the back garden wall looks like it's the poisonous variety, but I think it's the imitation."

Seifer nodded. "I think you're right. There's a gate back there, but it's rusted closed. I've been working on it a bit, but there's only so much I can do when Chris and Greg insist on following us everywhere." He really was fond of their hosts, but he wished they would stop treating them like children and leave them alone for longer than it took to use the bathroom. "We might be able to use it in a month or so, but not now. You think we can scale the wall?"

"Should be able to," Squall agreed thoughtfully. "There's a tree on the other side that I can catch a line on if we need a little extra help."

"Do we know how we're spotting each of these guys?"

"I asked Gregory if he would be willing to put names to faces for me," Squall offered. "We can probably get some time in with all of them at this first party, but do try and get something out of the first two before we bug them. Mistresses, odd sleep schedules, overly cautious house guards..."

Seifer snorted. "I have no interest in going in blind and getting caught before we can get anything out of these peop–"

Squall held up his hand for silence, but Seifer's mouth had already snapped shut and they both turned towards the door, hearing someone moving around out in the hallway. After a moment, a knock came at Squall's door and Christal called, "Squall? Is Seifer in there with you?"

Seifer shot a look at the younger boy and he shrugged, not caring if their host found them hanging out together. "Erm, yeah! I'm in here!"

"May I come in?" Christal asked.

Squall slid his notebook under his pillow, resigned to the fact that it would be a while before he could finish his entry. "Come on in."

Christal stepped in with a troubled smile, hugging her sleep robe against her chest. "One of Greg's friends decided to pay a late..." She blinked a few times at the boy in confusion, then hurried across the room and lightly touched the scar on Seifer's face; both boys usually wore make-up to hide their scars, as they were their most distinguishing features and not particularly useful in supporting their 'innocent little boys' image. "When did this happen?" she whispered.

"About a year ago," Seifer admitted with a shrug. "Squally's got one, too."

Christal glanced towards Squall, whose face had been enough in shadow that she hadn't noticed the mirrored scar running down his nose. "Those must have _hurt_ ," she murmured, true sadness shining in her eyes.

"It stung a bit," Seifer agreed, smiling. "What did you need us for, Chris?"

Christal shook her head, stepping back. "Oh, right. Greg's friend, August Ricaforte, decided to pay a late night visit." She shook her head, not seeing the amused looks on the boys' faces. "He always _does_ this. It drives me ma– What are you two grinning about?"

"It's a _family thing_ ," Seifer said in a perfect imitation of October Ricaforte's snobby response the time Zell had asked what sort of parents named their kid 'October'.

"One of our friends at Garden is October Ricaforte," Squall explained while Seifer snickered at himself.

"You know October?" Christal asked, smiling a bit. "He's a lovely boy. Smart, too."

"Unless it's maths," Seifer agreed, eyes lit with mischief. "He _sucks_ at maths."

Squall rolled his eyes and climbed out of his bed. "I expect we're supposed to come down and meet General Ricaforte?"

"Yes, if you please," Christal agreed, considering their worn, Garden-issue pyjamas. "Perhaps some sleep robes, as well. I'll go find a couple." Then she turned and left the room.

Squall pulled out his make-up for covering his scar and gathered just enough on his finger to hide it, then tossed the jar to Seifer, who repeated the motion. By the time Christal returned with robes, the scars had vanished from view and Seifer was halfway to Squall's pillow.

"Lay one hand on my journal, Seifer Almasy, and I will gut you," Squall warned as he tucked the make-up away in his bag.

"And get blood all over this comfortable bed?"

"I can sleep in yours while you bleed out. No skin off my back."

"You're a cruel, cruel best friend."

"Good of you to notice. Now, stay away from my journal."

Christal stepped into the room, having been eavesdropping a little, and held out the robes. "They're probably a bit big, but they'll have to do."

"They'll be fine, Chris. Thanks," Seifer assured her as he slipped from the bed and took the robes, tossing one to Squall. The arms were a bit long, but some folding back fixed that and their hostess led the way down to the receiving room.

Both men rose from their seats as the lady of the house and the two boys walked in. "August, these are my nephews, Squall and Seifer," Gregory introduced while the two boy considered the general with bland looks. "Boys, this is my good friend, August Ricaforte."

August offered the boys a knowing smile. "You don't look like Garden's two most promising students," he commented, making Gregory stiffen in surprise.

"That's the point," Seifer replied drily.

August chuckled and reached over to touch Gregory's shoulder. "Greg, I'm sorry for the minor deception. October told me his friends were in Deling and I figured it must have been you who was hosting them, since you'd just taken in two boys. But I didn't want to chance you finding out that Garden was in town if they weren't here. You understand."

Gregory let out a heavy breath. "I understand," he agreed. "Please, let's all sit. And perhaps now we can hear some honesty, August?"

August inclined his head in understanding as they all sat. "I don't know what your mission here is, nor do I care," he announced, reaching into his jacket pocket, "but October said you were in town and wondered if I could pass on some letters and a message from him."

"Mail!" Seifer exclaimed, darting out of his seat to take the offered letters.

Squall rolled his eyes as his friend started shuffling through the mail. "What was the message, General?"

"It's something of a two-part," he explained. "October wanted to know, first, if him coming to visit would put your cover at risk."

Squall frowned in thought, then shook his head. "You're already friends with Gregory and Christal, so it shouldn't be too odd for you to introduce your son to their nephews. As long as we actually treat it like a first meeting, it should be fine." He elbowed Seifer. "That means no maths jokes, Seifer."

"But maths jokes are half the fun," Seifer complained, setting the letters aside for the minute to pay attention to the conversation. "What's the second part?"

"He's uncertain if he should leave Garden while he's head of the DC," August replied, shrugging. It was clear he didn't actually know what the 'DC' was.

Seifer and Squall traded thoughtful looks. Seifer was the one who said, "It should be okay during the spring holiday. As long as he tells Quis and Xu to keep an eye on things while he's gone."

" 'DC'?" Christal asked, curious.

"Disciplinary Committee," Seifer explained. "There's a small problem with bullying at Garden, so Squally and I started the DC to sort of bring the bullies in line. With us out of Garden for a while, we left October in charge."

"Were you two bullied?" Christal wondered, frowning.

August laughed. "From what October tells me, those two are the people the bullies most feared."

"That's because they never met NORG," Seifer muttered, picking the letters back up to look through them again.

"We were never their targets," Squall said for Christal's benefit, "but our friends were. We created the DC to protect them."

Christal smiled at that. "You're good boys," she decided.

August, who had heard more than enough stories from his son about the boys across him, shook his head, but a glance at the ice in blue-grey eyes warned him against saying anything further on the matter. Clearly, the boys didn't want to let their hosts know exactly how dangerous they were, which was probably for the best, considering the innocence Christal wore around her like a second skin. She already adored the two and it would be cruel to dispel her illusions.

The general rose to his feet with a smile. "Well, that was really all that I came here to do," he said to the other two adults. "October should be here in another couple weeks and we can set up a play date."

Seifer made a face, which Squall elbowed him for.

Gregory rose to his own feet. "Of course. Let me see you out..."

"Well, that was lovely," Christal said once the men were out of range. "And you got mail from your friends!"

Seifer grinned and stood, dragging Squall with him. "Yup! And now we're gonna go read them and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow!"

"Good night, boys," Christal called as they slipped from the room.

"I hope the general doesn't give us away," Seifer muttered as they started up the staircase.

"He shouldn't," Squall replied quietly. "I don't know how much October has told him about recent events, though he didn't know what the DC was, so I'm guessing not a lot. As far as he knows, we're just Garden." The two boys being SeeDs was supposed to be a Balamb Garden secret, to protect their identities. No one needed to know that Garden had a ten and eleven year old out on missions and capable of cold-blooded murder. Knowing they were from Garden was bad enough, but Garden was only a school to train mercenaries, not the actual mercenary force itself.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Seifer agreed. "My room or yours?"

"Yours," Squall immediately said. "I don't want you that close to my journal."

"I'll just sneak in one afternoon while you're playing in the garden and–"

"I will disembowel you if you continue to joke about this," Squall hissed, pressing a knife he'd had hidden up his sleeve against the hollow of Seifer's throat. "Are we clear?"

Seifer stared into the icy grey eyes, perfectly calm in spite of the metal kissing his throat. "What are you hiding, Squall?" he murmured. "Don't you trust me?"

Squall stepped away, the knife returning to its hidden sheath. "...Just stay away from my journal, Seifer." He looked away for a moment, then looked back up and met Seifer's eyes, a desperate pain swimming in his own eyes. "Please."

Seifer closed his eyes against the sight of his best friend truly asking him for something. Usually, it was _him_ asking for reassurance, not Squall. "I promise I won't touch your journal," he whispered.

Squall let out a breath and nodded. "Let's go read those letters."

"Okay."

-0-

"So, how is it, pretending to have parents?" October asked one afternoon while the two SeeDs were enjoying a 'play date' at Ricaforte House during the summer holidays. They were all sitting in the back yard, away from curious servants and October's parents alike.

"Stressful," Seifer muttered, leaning back against a tree and bumping his shoulder with Squall's. "Maybe if we weren't hiding half of what we are from them, it wouldn't be so bad, but it's just kinda a pain in the ass."

October chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose I can relate. Dad knows what the army's like, but he has _no idea_ what SeeD is."

"We're mercenaries," Squall said. "Everyone knows that."

The teenager shrugged a bit awkwardly from where he was stretched out along the ground. "Well, yeah, we're hired out to the highest bidder, but that doesn't really explain what we _do_. Like, who would think going to fancy parties and listening to old men talk about their war days is mercenary work? Dad thinks SeeD is a private army that hires itself out to other armies in a time of crisis."

"We are, though," Seifer commented. "A private army, I mean. But we're also trained in more than war."

"It's the 'more than war' that most people don't catch," Squall said, shaking his head. "They hear 'mercenary' and it translates to 'soldier' not 'whatever the fuck you need us for at that moment'."

"As long as it doesn't involve cooking," October agreed with a smirk towards Seifer, who had once burned the cake he was making for Squall's surprise party.

"Or maths," Seifer shot back.

"Oh, grow up, both of you," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes.

The other two chuckled and relaxed back to enjoy the quiet for a bit, ears twitching against their will when noise from inside reached them through opened windows.

"So, what _are_ you two doing? Other than listening to old men at parties, I mean?" October wondered, leaning up on his elbows to get a better look at the two SeeDs. "Or can you not tell me?"

Seifer and Squall traded looks before both shrugging. "It's not really a huge secret," Seifer said. "Deling's getting paranoid about some of his people and wants to know their every dirty secret. We're here to get those secrets for him."

"By listening to old men at parties," October finished, dropping back to the ground. "Anything good?"

"We're bugging their houses with some technology Galbadia Garden developed, as well," Squall said drily. "And, no, we haven't got a lot during the parties, but the house bugs are proving effective."

October jerked back up onto his elbows. "Is _my_ house bugged?" he demanded.

"No." Seifer shot him a lazy smile. "You doing something naughty after the lights go out, Pretty Boy?"

Squall snorted. "If your house was bugged, we wouldn't have agreed to come over, and we probably would have advised you to remain at Garden. No, your family isn't on our list. Neither are the Gustafsons."

October relaxed back against the ground, taking a few deep breaths. "Good."

"Am I the _only one_ not keeping secrets?" Seifer wondered rhetorically. "Seriously, first Squally's getting possessive over his diary–"

" _Journal_ ," Squall muttered.

"–and now Prince Pretty Boy is doing naughty things at home he doesn't want us knowing about. _Should_ we bug your room, October?"

October glanced towards Squall, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. "You have a diary?"

" _Journal_ ," Squall snapped, hitting the side of Seifer's leg. "And, yes, I've kept it since I was a kid. Seifer's the only one who's ever seen it."

"Yeah, before I could read and then from an extreme distance," Seifer said, rolling his eyes. "You're more protective about that thing than you are about Revolver, and you _worship_ that weapon."

"No one has any interest in stealing Revolver," Squall pointed out. "My journal, on the other hand, needs all the protection in the world. Especially with _you_ around."

Seifer sighed. "I already promised I'd leave the damn thing alone, Squall. Calm down."

Squall grunted and rested his head back against the tree. "Whatever."

October considered the two younger boys for a moment, then admitted, "Mom is from Timber, and she _hates_ Deling. She likes to say rude things inside the house and occasionally trades letters with a couple resistance factions. Dad doesn't care, so long as it stays in the house."

"Okay, yeah, we're _not_ going to mention that one in a report," Seifer declared. "I am not okay with implicating and murdering the parents of a friend. No. Not happening."

"Murdering?" October asked, closing his eyes.

"If any of the people on our list ring any alarm bells for Deling, we're to go in and ensure they're no longer a problem," Squall replied, voice carefully cold.

October sighed. "I'm not really surprised, knowing Deling. I'll warn Mom to bring the protesting down a notch, though. Just in case. I mean, you two might not have eyes on my family, but another team could."

"That's really the only thing you _can_ do," Seifer agreed quietly. "If we hear about them becoming a new attraction, we'll let them know to take a holiday. It might end up just implicating them all the more, but at least they'll be out of Deling's reach for a bit until he calms down."

"Thanks, Seifer."

-0-

Their first kill order came the week of Seifer's birthday.

"I officially hate this man," Seifer muttered as they made their way through the gate at the back of the Gustafsons property in the middle of the night. "Couldn't he have sent this a week ago? Or just waited another week?"

"It's not like he planned this with you in mind," Squall replied quietly as he fixed the latch so they'd be able to get back in once they were done. They could always scale the wall again, but the gate was easier. And the ivy on the wall _was_ the poisonous kind, Squall had found one night when it brushed against an uncovered patch of skin at his wrist and he spent a week trying not to scratch while Seifer laughed.

"I know. At least the house isn't far." Seifer shook his head and they fell silent as they crept down the little-used back road that connected most of the manors. The one they were heading towards was about a twenty-minute trek, made more difficult thanks to the new moon hanging darkly in the sky. They managed to get there in half an hour and crept around to the air vent access next to the outdoor heating system.

Both boys made sure their junctions were set properly, then opened canisters of sleeping gas and set them inside the vent. After fifteen minutes, they picked the lock on the back door and slipped inside, Seifer hurrying forward to input the override code on the house alarm. Most people didn't bother with the technology, since it had a tendency to go off at nothing, but their current target was almost as paranoid as President Deling himself, so he used the alarm system in spite of the false alarms.

Sadly, for him, Squall and Seifer had contacts who knew the override code that had been set by the developer of the system and never removed.

The guard out by the front gate hadn't been affected by the sleeping gas, but the guard change also wasn't for another five hours, so he shouldn't pose a problem. Everyone else was out like a light, even their target.

Squall was the one who slit the man's throat while Seifer kept watch. Honestly, the watch wasn't needed, but Squall didn't care if Seifer needed to stand outside the room where a man was being murdered in cold-blood. Squall was far less bothered by death than Seifer was, anyway. He stayed until the murdered man's body had begun to grow cold before slipping from the room and joining Seifer on their way out of the manor and back towards their current residence.

"What did you do with the prostitute?" Seifer asked once the house had been left behind.

"Nothing." Squall shrugged. "If she'd wakened, I would have had to kill her, but she slept through it. She'll probably be implicated for the murder."

Seifer sighed. "Not sure which would have been better for her, all things considered. Maybe she'll be smart and run for it before anyone notices."

"Maybe," Squall agreed.

They crept back onto the grounds by way of the gate, which was securely latched behind them, then picked their way across the yard to where lines fell from their bedroom windows to scale back up.

"Good night, Squally," Seifer offered as he tugged lightly on his rope to ensure it hadn't come loose.

"Good night, Seifer. Pleasant dreams."

"Oh, har, har." Seifer rolled his eyes and they both moved smoothly up the wall and into their rooms.

The lines were retracted and hidden in their bags with their weapons and dark suits. They changed into their pyjamas – new pairs bought for them by Christal a few months earlier with a great deal of other new clothing – and both climbed into bed. Squall had written his journal entry before leaving, so he didn't have to stay awake any longer and fell right to sleep and into Shiva's waiting arms, the GF quietly stealing away his dark memories of the night's deed and humming him to a restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm... Got a bit dark, there, at the end.
> 
> I'm insanely fond of October. Don't know why. I'd originally created him as a throw-away character who would show up _once_ , then never again. But he's sort of worked his way into the story as an actual character. I have vague thoughts of killing him off, but no promises one way or the other.  
> Because I don't know that I'll ever get this into the fic, and it amused me... October's mum's name is May. (It really is a family thing. XD)


	6. Melodies of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Shivani brought it up, I thought I'd preface this chapter by saying that Seifer is a Capricorn, so his animal is a goat. (Squall is a Leo, as mentioned in the first chapter, so a lion.)

"Sweet, sweet Balamb soil," Seifer called, dropping down onto the ground just outside the Balamb Town limits and kissing it. "I've missed you so, my motherland! Sweet, sweet soil!"

Squall snorted in amusement and dropped his bag to join his friend on the ground, sans the kissing. They hadn't expected to be back for another month, at least, but the rioting had finally subsided – and Deling's paranoia with it – so they were free to return home. They'd planned to make it a surprise, so no one knew they were back on the island except the few people in town who'd seen and recognised them.

Seifer sat up and took a moment to breathe, grinning a bit madly. "Smell that beautiful sea air."

"I think Deling broke you," Squall commented drily. "I wonder if your warranty's expired."

Seifer snorted. "I am too happy to be home to care if you tease me. So _there_."

Squall glanced towards the ocean. "It _is_ nice to be back. It would be even _better_ if we were at Garden, though."

Seifer gave his bag a pained look. "I know, but Chris gave us all those _clothes_..."

Squall sighed helplessly at his own bag, which was bulging with new clothing, books and even a stuffed lion that Christal had forced him to take. (Seifer had been given a stuffed goat, which he'd attempted to 'forget' three different times before giving in and just putting the damn thing in his bag.) It was nice to have quasi-parents, which Christal and Gregory had both basically become to the two orphans, but _still_. The bags were heavy, and it was a long walk back to Garden.

A horn honked and the two boys looked up to find Ma Dincht smiling down at them from inside a car. "Hop in, boys," she offered. "I was bringing some food up to Zell anyway, and someone mentioned they'd seen you two stumbling down the road with bags heavier than my car."

"They're not _quite_ that bad," Squall insisted as they both stood and obediently squeezed into the car.

"It's a near thing," Seifer muttered, shifting his bag more comfortably on his lap. "I think I've lost all feeling in my legs already."

"Thank you, Mrs Dincht," Squall said to their driver as she navigated the road up to Garden.

"Sure thing, sweetie. Zell said you boys were out on a long assignment. He didn't think you'd be home in time for his birthday."

"Is it Chicken-Head's birthday?" Seifer wondered, frowning a bit.

"Next week," Squall agreed. "We didn't think we'd be back in time either, but things wrapped up pretty quickly."

"It's a bit early for a birthday lunch," Seifer said, sniffing towards the covered tray on the front seat. He had a tendency to get sick on trains, so he hadn't had a proper meal since breakfast the morning before, unwilling to chance lunch just before they boarded.

Ma Dincht laughed. "Oh, this is just something for getting through exams. He's planning to come down to _me_ for his birthday." She smiled at them in the rear-view mirror. "You two are invited, of course."

"If we're not back out on another assignment, we'll come," Squall promised, leaning forward to watch out the front window as Garden came into view over the rise. Next to him, Seifer was doing the same thing and they both smiled just a little bit as a knot loosened around their chests at the sight of home.

"Glad to be back?" Ma Dincht asked, already knowing the answer.

"You have _no_ idea," Seifer breathed, sitting back in his seat again. "I swear to Hyne, if Cid gives us another long-term assignment like this last one, I'm going to shove it down his throat."

Squall snorted. "No you won't. You'll take it like a good little boy, then complain to me about it while you're packing your bag." His eyes gleamed with mischief. "You could even take your goat with you."

"I'm going to use that goat for beating people who aren't worth drawing my blade on," Seifer decided. "And I'm starting with _you_ , Squally."

"Griever will decimate your goat."

"Grie– You _named_ that thing?"

Squall frowned. "You expected me to continue calling it the 'Disgusting Ball of Fluff That Christal Refused to Take Back'? At least Griever sounds cool."

"We're here," Ma Dincht said between chuckles as she parked the car. "Zell usually meets me here with his friends, so you'll probably have help with your bags."

"Oh, thank Hyne," Seifer breathed as they all got out of the car.

Almost on cue, five kids came skidding to a stop at the entrance into Garden. There was a moment of silence as they stared at the two gunbladers – Squall and Seifer both set their bags to one side in preparation of the storm they were about to get hit with – then Zell shouted, "YOU'RE BACK!" and Squall and Seifer were buried under a pile of Zell, Quistis, Fujin, Raijin, and Xu.

There followed a garble of noise as the five cadets talked over one another to ask how they were and how the assignment went, and why they were back early and so forth and so on. The two SeeDs just let them talk, too pleased to be home to be bothered by the noise.

Eventually, sense returned and the cadets realised that they were sitting on the floor, practically on top of the two SeeDs, and Ma Dincht was leaning against her car, laughing her ass off at the lot of them.

"An entire year gone, and upon my return, I am mauled by the people I call friends. What is this, cruel, cruel world?" Seifer complained as the cadets stumbled to their feet.

"You're an idiot," Squall told him with a touch of fondness in his voice as he got to his feet. "Hi, we're back," he added to their friends.

"We thought you weren't getting back until next month," Quistis said as Zell pulled Seifer to his feet, ducking the older blond's attempt on his hair.

"Our client decided to stop being crazy ahead of schedule," Seifer offered with a grin. "Good of him, really."

"We got lucky," Squall added drily. "Mrs Dincht said something about food, and I think both Seifer and I could use some, so why don't we move this to a proper table?"

"You've been travelling for hours!" Quistis realised. "Let's get some food into you two!"

"Rai!" Seifer called. "Carry my bag!"

"Wimp," Squall muttered as he hefted his own bag with a grunt.

"I haven't eaten in over twenty-four hours. Look, my hand's shaking," Seifer complained, holding one hand out to prove his point.

"What have you got in here?" Raijin demanded as he settled the bag over his shoulder. "Rocks?"

"Anything Chris could pack in there," Seifer replied, smiling faintly at the thought of their hostess.

"Thanks, Ma," Zell said as he and Xu accepted the food from Ma Dincht.

"Make sure those two get some of that," the motherly woman ordered her son before waving the group off.

"So where have you people been gathering while we were gone?" Seifer asked as they started towards the dorms.

"Rai and Zell's room," Xu offered. "We tried using Quisty and my room, but Andrea threw a fit about the noise."

"Once a bitch always a bitch," Seifer said sagely. "Why are you still roommates again, Fuu?"

"ANNOYS YOU."

"Good a reason as any," Zell said, shooting the older blond a grin.

Seifer just rolled his eyes, too hungry to tackle the one holding the food and worry about it going everywhere.

"Don't you two need to report in to Uncle Cid?" Quistis asked, watching the students who took note of the returned SeeDs and ran off to start the rumour mill turning.

"We've been sending him regular updates," Seifer said, waving a hand at the concern. "He can wait to hear from us in person."

"If you're sure..." Quistis replied.

As soon as they got into Zell and Raijin's dorm, Raijin dropped Seifer's bag with a gasp. "I think...I broke my...shoulder, ya...know?"

"Squall's bag is heavier," Seifer said as he took a seat as the table and waited impatiently for Zell and Xu to uncover the trays. "Oh, come _on_! Starved man, here!"

"I dunno, this is funny to watch," Zell replied, very slowly peeling back the tinfoil.

"Chicken-Head, if you don't give me food _right this minute_ , I won't be held accountable for what I eat instead."

"Zell, give him the food so he'll shut up," Squall ordered, setting his bag down with a grimace. "Not looking forward to taking that up the stairs to my room."

"Okay, you know what? _No_ bag is _that_ heavy," Quistis snapped, striding over and grabbing for the strap of Squall's bag. Squall quickly stepped back and watched in amusement as the older girl tried and failed to lift the bag. "What do you _have_ in there?"

"Clothing, twelve books, Revolver, a handful of potions and remedies, seventeen knives, three pistols, one rifle and..." Squall frowned a bit in thought while the cadets just sort of stared at him and Seifer stuffed his face. "Oh! A collapsible sword. Which broke."

"Were you expecting an army?" Xu asked drily.

"Yes, actually," Seifer said around a chicken leg. "Possibly more than one."

Squall strode over to the table and picked out a cheese sandwich while the others moved towards the table themselves. "That's not all for you, Seifer," he told his friend as he took the seat next to him. "And don't even start with the whole 'haven't eaten in twenty-four hours'."

"But I _haven't_."

"Which is why I'm not removing the food from your reach. Slow down or you're going to make yourself sick."

Seifer muttered wordlessly, but slowed down, conceding that Squall had a point.

They were all silent for a long few minutes, munching on the food and just enjoying being together again.

"Oh!" Zell jumped up and dashed into his room. He came back out with a pile of class work that made all the others groan. It took him a moment to pick a specific notebook out of the pile, but once he had it and it was open to the right page, he tossed it in front of Squall. "Explain that," he ordered.

Squall sighed and finished the sandwich he was on before pulling over the notebook. "I thought Xu was helping you with Material Sciences?"

"I don't get it either," Xu offered. "Chemical reactions are one of those things that just don't make sense to me. Quisty sort of understands it, but she can't explain it in a way that makes sense to us non-geniuses." She shot her roommate a smile to take the sting out of the words. Quistis _had_ been trying to help them, her mind just worked differently from her fellow cadets'.

Squall looked over the line of problems again, then flipped to a blank page in the back to scribble on. "Yeah, okay..."

-0-

"I hate small towns," Jordan Farrar complained as he parked their car next to the hotel in Winhill.

"You're worse than Seifer," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes. "Next time, I'm demanding a female partner."

"They whine more."

"They tend to shut up when you pull a knife on them," Squall replied matter-of-factly. " _You_ just tell me where you want the scar." He shoved his door open and climbed out while Jordan laughed behind him.

Jordan was just reaching for his bag when they heard a scream echoing down the main street. "Straight to work, then," the older SeeD muttered as they both shoved their bags back into the car and slammed the doors.

Winhill had been facing a string of murders and vandalism that they were unable to solve. The mayor had finally looked for outside help after almost three months and been pointed towards SeeD. Because the request required some questioning of townspeople, Cid had decided to send Squall with an older SeeD. Cid had admitted to Squall that he was originally from Winhill, which made the orphan's eyes narrow in thought, but also gave them a good cover for a 'cadet' to be going along on a SeeD mission.

"That's the mayor," Jordan said as they came into sight of the crowd. "I'll introduce myself while you be a nosey kid."

"Hm." Squall closed his eyes for a moment and drew on the memories of his childhood before the Ghost. Wrapping that happy child around himself, he opened his eyes with a curious expression that was completely out of character for him.

"It's really disturbing when you do that," Jordan informed him before starting towards the mayor. Squall slipped into the crowd, listening to what the people were saying and taking in the blood splatters on the wall with a collected edge to comically wide eyes.

"Mayor Andrews?" Jordan asked as he approached the sweating man.

The mayor turned to give him a slightly suspicious look. Then he recognised the Garden symbol pinned discreetly to Jordan's collar and relaxed. "Oh, thank Hyne. Yes, I'm Argent Andrews." Andrews held out a hand, which Jordan politely shook.

"Jordan Farrar," the young man offered before turning to look towards the crowd. He thought he spotted Squall's bird's nest of a hair style, but it had vanished again before he could be certain. "My partner is around here, somewhere..."

"Right here," Squall announced quietly from behind the mayor, making the man jump. The boy offered him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Squall Leonhart." He offered his hand in greeting.

The mayor blinked at him a few times in disbelief. "Leon...hart...?" he repeated.

Squall put on a faintly uncertain air as he withdrew his hand. "Yes, sir."

The mayor reached out a careful hand and touched Squall's cheek. "Sweet Hyne. You're Raine's son."

Squall grasped for a moment at memories dulled by time and darker experiences, but then he found that child who just wanted a piece of where he was from and he allowed that uncertain hope to shine in his eyes. "You... you knew my mother?" he asked.

The mayor smiled and drew the boy into a hug, which Squall managed not to pull away from like he wanted to – a year with Christal had dulled his abhorrence for unwelcome physical contact. "Yes, dear boy, I knew your mother," the mayor said as he stepped back. "She was a wonderful woman."

Jordan cleared his throat. "Mayor, not to interrupt the joyous reunion, but Cadet Leonhart and I _are_ here to work."

"Cadet?" Andrews asked, looking curiously at the young boy. "Isn't this a bit dangerous for a cadet? I mean... Squall, you can't be more than twelve."

"Normally, cadets aren't sent on missions," Jordan agreed with an easy smile, "but sending a bunch of new people into a small town like this is a little obvious, so the Headmaster asked Leonhart to come with. A semi-familiar face, you know? And it gives him a chance to reconnect with his roots."

"But the danger," Andrews insisted. "There's a murderer in town."

"Leonhart's going to stay close to me," Jordan insisted, shooting his partner a stern look.

Squall stole one of Seifer's favourite expressions and tried to look innocent while still conveying a sense of intending to disobey orders no matter what. Judging by Jordan's amused look and Andrews' worried frown, he'd say he pulled it off pretty well.

-0-

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Trabia Garden's Headmistress, Angelica Fields, said as the two SeeDs stepped out of the car they'd rented at the Trabia port town they'd arrived at.

"Good afternoon, Madam Fields," October replied with an easy smile. "I'm SeeD October Ricaforte, and that's SeeD Seifer Almasy; Cadet Seifer Ricaforte while we're here."

Seifer shot the Headmistress a winning smile as he tugged at the Balamb Garden cadet uniform he'd been ordered to wear for his cover. They were there to handle a nasty monster infestation in some nearby towns and their home base would be Trabia Garden. Since it was still something of a secret outside of Balamb Garden that they had two SeeDs under the age of fifteen, he was playing the part of a curious possible-transfer, in Trabia to see the sights. October was playing his older brother – they had a similar facial structure and colouring, though October's hair was much darker and his eyes were brown, as opposed to the bright green that Seifer sported – coming along to ensure Trabia was up to his own high standards.

Angelica's lips pursed at the sight of the twelve-year-old SeeD, but she'd already made her thoughts on the matter clear to Cid, and she wasn't about to take it out on a child. "Pleasure to meet you both. If you'll grab your bags, I can show you to the dorm you'll be sharing while you're here."

The two boys grabbed their bags and fell in behind the Headmistress, looking around with curious eyes as they moved though the new Garden. Trabia was the smallest Garden of the three, but also the most open and welcoming, with high ceilings and indoor gardens spotting the main hub. Its colouring was similar to Balamb Garden's, with more blue and purple and less shocks of yellow and orange.

"It's nice," October murmured.

"It needs more colour," Seifer muttered. "I don't like pastel purple."

"One of these days, I'm going to take you to Galbadia Garden so you can see some _real_ colour."

"Ugh. No." Seifer shook his head. "We saw pictures of the place while it was being built. They need to learn to back off the red a bit; the place is an eyesore."

"Excellent target practise, though."

Seifer snorted in amusement. "There is that. I suppose if anyone ever decided to take out Garden, Galbadia would be the perfect target."

Headmistress Fields stopped in front of a door and typed in the default password for all unused Garden rooms. "I'll leave you two to decide on an alternate code, but this will be your room for the duration of your stay. I've been assured that you'll be able to find your way around without any assistance?"

"We're familiar with the layout of Trabia Garden," October agreed. "...Seifer?" he turned to look for his partner, only to see him a few steps back, frowning at something. "Hey!"

Seifer waved a hand at him, looking back down the hallway towards an open door where a familiar voice was coming from. _'That sounds like–'_

" _Seifer_!" October snapped.

The voices in the room silenced, then a head poked out the door and stared at the blond in the hallway while he stared back at her, excitement bubbling in his stomach. "Seify-Poo!" the girl suddenly squealed before launching herself at the boy.

Seifer caught the girl and swung her around, grinning. "Hey there, Selph." He reached up and messed with her hair once they were stationary again, laughing when she jumped back and swatted at his hands. "Looking good."

"You too!" Selphie bounced a bit, eyes bright with excitement.

A heavy hand dropped onto Seifer's shoulder and October smiled at the girl from next to the younger SeeD. "Friend of yours, Seifer?"

Seifer's face blanked as he remembered that he and October were supposed to be posing as brothers, but Selphie knew he was an orphan. _'Aw, fuck it all.'_ He glanced up towards October with a note of apology in his eyes. "Yeah, this is Selphie. I told you about her, remember? We were at the orphanage together, before Mom and Dad adopted me."

Understanding flashed in October's eyes and he glanced towards the girl in front of them. "Selphie? Sure, I think I remember her..." He offered the girl his hand. "October Ricaforte."

"Selphie Tilmitt!" the girl exclaimed, shaking the hand with more exuberance than strictly necessary. She flashed a bright smile at Seifer. "I'm glad you found a family, too! I was really worried about you guys, you know. Did Irvy and Squally get adopted too? Do you know?"

"Slow down, Selph," Seifer said with a laugh. "Irvy got adopted by some stuck-up general down the row from us, and Squally's sort of been pseudo adopted by a friend of Dad's. Didn't see much of Irvy, really, but Squally was over pretty often. He's at Balamb with me, Zell, and Quis."

Selphie's eyes widened comically. "Zell and Quisty and Squally are all at Balamb?"

"Cadet Ricaforte, you had better not be trying to steal one of my best students," Headmistress Fields commented as she joined them.

"Not on purpose," Seifer insisted.

October chuckled. "You can catch up with Selphie later, Seifer. We should unpack our things."

"Ooh! Are you transferring here?" Selphie wondered, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Thinking about it," Seifer hedged, uncomfortable with lying to his pseudo-sister. "It's nice, but I think I miss the warmer colours of Balamb already." He managed a strained smile. "We're here for a few weeks to check it out, though. See a couple classes, meet the students, try the food... That sort of stuff."

"Are you thinking of transferring too, October?" Selphie wondered, clearly excited at the chance to have Seifer with her again.

October shook his head. "No, I'm already SeeD. Seifer asked if I'd come with to give him my opinion of the place; you know, a last brotherly outing before I start getting sent out on missions all the time."

"That's so awesome!" Selphie declared. "Okay, I'll let you get unpacked. But you're joining me and my friends for dinner!"

"Sure thing, Selph," Seifer agreed and they all parted ways. Once their door had fallen shut behind the two SeeDs, Seifer knocked his head against the wall. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..."

October chuckled. "At least I know you won't be bored while I'm out killing things."

"Oh, fuck you, Pretty Boy." Seifer shot him a disgruntled look. "You are _not_ leaving me behind on _our_ mission. Part of _my_ job is to keep an eye on you, anyway. So you're going to make friendly with Selphie and we'll take on this infestation during classes and after curfew if we have to."

October sighed. "Why couldn't I have been partnered with Squall? He'd have let me go off on my own."

Seifer snorted and grabbed his bag to take to his bedroom. "That's what _you_ think."

-0-

"You're a big baby," Seifer teased from his seat on the medical bed across from October, who let out a pained moan. They'd finally taken on the last of the troublesome monsters in the area – a mother Blue Dragon and her offspring – and took plenty of damage before they'd managed to take the family out. Seifer had a number of cuts and a nasty burn along his left arm to show for it, but October had taken the worst of the damage, being a larger target, including some fractured ribs and a broken left arm along with his own burns and cuts.

"Oh, fuck you too, Almasy," October managed through clenched teeth.

"I _told_ you to duck the tail," Seifer pointed out.

"If I'd ducked, we'd still be fighting it."

"Stop talking!" the Trabia Garden doctor, a severe man with a growing bald patch, shouted. "It's bad enough that you took your brother out there with you, stupid boys..." He moved off towards his desk again.

Seifer grinned and leaned back on his bed. "Taking a twelve-year-old out with you, October. _What_ were you–"

"I am going to chance more damage to my ribs to shove a pillow down your throat in a minute," October warned. "Why don't you save me the pain and just _shut up_?"

Seifer chuckled and closed his eyes against the pale blue ceiling. He wondered how everyone was doing back home, and how Squall was doing in Winhill. _'Maybe he's already back. It's been almost two months. How long does a murder investigation take?'_

The door to the infirmary slid opened and Selphie's voice asked, "I heard the Ricaforte brothers were in here. Are they okay?"

"They'll live," the doctor muttered. "You can visit for a little bit. But no bouncing, girl!"

Selphie appeared in the doorway of the little room, expression troubled as she took in the wounds on the two boys. "What happened?" she breathed.

"Training," Seifer said with a faint smile as he levered himself back up into a sitting position. "Balamb's got a Training Centre on the premises that you can fight real monsters in, but Trabia doesn't have anything like that. I talked October into going out with me and we ran into a Blue Dragon family." He frowned a bit, shooting his partner a troubled look. "He got hurt 'cause of me."

October grunted. "You heard the doc, I'll live."

Seifer sighed. "I know..." He glanced up at Selphie. "What brings you to view upon our suffering?"

"Oh! Tricia said she saw you two limping in here, so I thought I'd come see how you were. And what happened." Selphie nibbled on her lower lip. "I'm glad you're not really badly hurt, though. Even if you're probably gonna be in here for a couple days..."

October took a careful breath. "We'll probably be heading back once we're out," he offered. With the Blue Dragon family being the last of the monsters causing trouble for the nearby towns, their mission was done. They could take the extra time for healing, but they needed to get back to Garden in case they were needed. It was bad enough that it had taken a month and a half, with the distraction Selphie provided.

"You're leaving?" Selphie whispered. "Like, for real leaving? Not staying to transfer?"

Seifer shrugged, then grimaced a bit as his healing burn pulled. "Trabia is nice, but it's not really _home_ , you know? And, well, I miss you and all, Selph, and catching up has been pretty awesome, but Squ– I've got lots of friends in Balamb that I don't wanna leave."

Selphie nodded. "I know. I think..." She sniffled a bit. "I think I knew you weren't gonna stay, back when you first said you were here to look. But... I'm glad we could catch up." She looked up at him, eyes bright with tears. "Maybe we can trade letters or something?"

"Sure thing," Seifer agreed. Depending on his assignments, it could take a while for him to get back to her, but it would be nice to stay in contact. Now, if only they knew where, exactly, Irvine had gone to. They knew who his adopted father was, sure, but not what had happened to him beyond that. Colonel Kinneas hadn't been high enough on the social ladder to appear as even a blip during their mission in Deling City, and they hadn't wanted to chance their cover just to hunt down a friend who might or might not have been able to even see them.

-0-

The rest of that year went about how they'd expected, with Seifer and Squall often out on assignment in remote places, taking care of monster infestations, murder investigations, or whatever else people called upon SeeD for. They had one other mission with each other, but it only lasted a week and they didn't see much of each other during their sporadic downtime, which Seifer was always complaining about to anyone who would listen. Seifer kept in contact with Selphie, as promised, and the Gustafsons occasionally wrote letters to Squall and Seifer, which the two boys would send separate and carefully-worded responses to, both secretly glad to have a couple adults in their lives who worried about them, even though Christal's constant fretting irritated them. (On the rare chance that either of them were in the area, they would always drop by and see their pseudo-adopted parents, which pleased the two adults to no end.)

They scored some unusual free time together during the spring holidays and enjoyed the time with their friends, trolling the halls and having mock duels in the Training Centre.

One such afternoon the weekend before the new year was to start, found the seven friends laying about on the lawn outside Garden, watching the cars with newly arriving cadets piling into the car park.

"Ugh, classes," Zell muttered as another car zoomed past. "I think I'd rather be out on a cool mission somewhere."

"Be my guest," Seifer replied drily, eyes closed against the glare of the sun. "You can have my next one while I enjoy a few weeks of listening to Aki talk out his ass."

"Poor Aki. He'd probably die of fright, havin' you in a class again, ya know?" Raijin teased.

"In that case, I should probably save you all some–"

"Stick a cork in it," Squall ordered, rolling his eyes behind closed lids. "Aki's not that bad."

"Aki _liked_ you."

"He's _not_ that bad," Quistis agreed. "Maybe he's a little strict, but..."

"You geniuses are such suck-ups," Zell said, grinning.

"Not a genius," Squall insisted, opening his eyes to give the younger boy an irritated look.

A car door slammed just off the road beneath them and a chipper and somewhat familiar voice said, "Thanks!"

"Did I just hear Selph?" Seifer asked, shoving himself into a sitting position so he could watch with the rest of them in disbelief as the bright-eyed cadet grabbed a heavy bag and started up the slight hill to them.

"HEEEEEY!" she shouted, waving her free hand madly and almost toppling over.

Seifer and Squall both hurried to their feet and down to meet the girl, relieving her of her burden while the others followed at a more sedate pace. "Selph, what are you _doing_ here?" Seifer asked as he accepted a hug.

Selphie beamed at him. "Well, after all the good stuff Zell and Quisty were telling me about Balamb, I thought I'd transfer here!"

"Madam Fields is going to kill me," Seifer moaned while the overly-exuberant girl hugged everyone and was formally introduced to Fujin, Raijin, and Xu, whom she'd heard plenty about in the letters from the others.

Squall snorted. "Fields is the least of your worries; Selph thinks you have an adopted family." Squall had just about died laughing when he found out that Seifer had to tell their friend that. The chipper girl was _not_ going to be happy to find that Squall and Seifer had not, in fact, been adopted. And then Seifer had _lied_ about it.

"I have an adopted family, just not the one she _thinks_ I have," Seifer muttered, meaning Christal and Gregory.

"Where's October?" Selphie asked, looking back at Seifer. "Oh, wait, is he on a mission?"

Seifer grimaced. "Selph, see, the thing is... October and I aren't...really... Erm..."

"The Ricafortes didn't adopt Seifer," Squall interrupted. "That was Seifer and October's cover while they were at Trabia Garden."

Selphie frowned. "Cover? Why would you need a cover to view a school?"

"I wasn't there to view Trabia," Seifer admitted. "I was there as a SeeD with October to clear out the monster infestation in the surrounding towns."

Selphie shot him a wounded look. "You _lied_ to me!"

"Aw, Selph, come on..."

"He wasn't given a choice, ya know?" Raijin hurried to say.

"Yeah. No one outside Balamb Garden knows that Seifer and Squall are SeeDs," Zell agreed, hugging Selphie around her shoulders. "If he'd told you the truth, he'd have been going against direct orders."

Selphie looked back towards Seifer and took in the honest upset in his eyes. "I forgive you," she decided. "But does that mean you were never adopted? At _all_?"

"Not from the orphanage," Squall said, "but a couple in Deling City have sort of quasi-adopted us."

"They gave them both stuffed animals," Zell added, grinning at the two SeeDs. He'd never get over that one.

"Would you like to get personally acquainted with my goat, Chicken-Head?"

"Zell's just jealous," Squall said with an even tone. "Don't worry, Zell. We'll tell Mrs Dincht that you need a stuffed friend of your own."

"Spare me. Really."

Selphie laughed. "I think I'm going to be glad I transferred."

"If only Irvy was here," Quistis said with a sigh.

Squall rubbed at his chin. "Maybe I should send him a letter and suggest he transfer."

There was a moment of silence as the group turned to stare at Squall in disbelief.

"Squally," Seifer said in a carefully neutral voice, "have you been in contact with Irvy this _entire time_?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "No, but he's been at Galbadia Garden for the past three years; I saw his name on the student lists."

"You mean you _hacked_ the student lists," Zell translated, shaking his head in amusement.

"It's not _my_ fault their security system sucks," Squall retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"HEADMASTER," Fujin called, looking down towards the entrance of Garden.

Everyone turned to watch as Cid started towards them, huffing a bit. "Hello, children," he said fondly as he reached them.

"Uncle Cid!" Selphie realised.

Cid smiled. "It's good to see you again, Selphie. I was surprised to get your transfer request." He frowned a bit. "Not quite as surprised by it as I was by the threatening note Angelica attached to it, of course..."

The cadets all laughed a bit at that, but Seifer and Squall eyed the Headmaster with dark gazes. "I take it the holiday is over?" Seifer suggested as the laughter died down.

"I'm afraid so," Cid agreed with a helpless expression.

"What?!" Zell shook his head. "But Selph just got here! Can't you send someone else?"

"I'm afraid not," Cid replied. "I need Squall and Seifer."

"So we're both going?" Seifer clarified. "That doesn't happen very often. I'm liking this mission less and less."

Cid's expression turned grim. "It's a silent mission; once you're out of Garden, there will be no contact between us until you're done."

"That's why it's both of us," Seifer murmured as the cadets all started loudly sharing their opinions on the matter.

" _Enough_ ," Squall ordered, shooting the cadets a cold look over his shoulder. Mouths snapped shut and he nodded. "Why don't you all see Selph to her new room while Seifer and I have our briefing? We'll meet you in Rai and Zell's room when we're done."

"Excellent idea," Cid agreed, some of his usual cheer returning to his expression. "You could even order a lunch in, for when Squall and Seifer meet up with you."

Grudgingly agreeing, the group trooped inside, separating at the lift. Once in the Headmaster's office, the two SeeDs took their usual seats and Squall asked, "What are we doing?"

Cid sighed and pulled out a folder with papers. "You've heard about the science team studying the native monsters of Centra?"

"Yeah, sure," Seifer agreed. "They've been in the news a lot, right? Chris likes to gush about them in her letters."

"Their sponsors lost contact with them last week," Cid reported, holding out the folder for the two boys to read over, which Seifer took and held so Squall could see it as well. "They were last heard from near the crater, and their last message wasn't particularly clear, as if they were all drunk. The sponsors want us to send a couple SeeDs down there to see if we can find out what happened to them and collect any survivors."

"There's no good way to remain in contact while we're down there, hence this being a silent mission," Seifer said, eyes flicking over the official and much less concise orders.

"The old Centra Ruins aren't far from where they disappeared," Squall murmured, considering the attached map of Centra with sharp eyes. "It's possible they ran across the Tonberries or Odin."

"They could have run across anything," Cid replied. "We don't know enough about Centra to truly question what it could have been."

"It took us a little over a week to get from the orphanage to Balamb," Squall said. "That's about three weeks travel time both ways, plus however long we're stuck in Centra for. This is going to take a while."

"We're stocking a boat with enough provisions to last you about half a year. If this takes longer than that, the sponsors are going to write the team off as dead, so you can just head back," Cid explained. "I'd rather you finish this sooner than that, but you'll be prepared for the worst."

"Is it just us two?" Seifer wondered, flipping through the papers for any mention of other people. "No one to drive the boat?"

"You're both trained in driving the SeeD boats," Cid replied, shaking his head. "It was decided that sending fewer people was in everyone's best interest, especially if you have to ferry the scientists back in your own boat."

"When do we leave?" Squall asked as Seifer shut the folder.

"Twenty-two hundred. SeeD Pippin will be driving you into town, and your boat is at Pier Three."

"With any luck, we'll see you in a month, scientists in tow," Seifer said with a grin as the two SeeDs rose.

Cid smiled. "I hope so. Oh, I've got a half-finished letter to Greg, do you want me to let them know you'll be out of contact for a while?"

"Please do," Seifer agreed.

"I'll do that, then. Enjoy your lunch, boys."

The two shot off the SeeD salute, then walked together out of the office, nodding to the secretary when she smiled at them.

"I hate long-term missions," Seifer muttered as they stepped into the lift. "And just when Selph showed up, too."

"That's life."

Seifer sighed, hand clenching around the folder he still held. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you have _any_ idea how hard it is to come up with missions that span years with what we know about this world? Rawr. I'm pulling this stuff out my arse.
> 
> Also, figuring out the time it takes to travel anywhere in this world makes my brain hurt. I'm gonna go cry.


	7. Lie Under the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unusually long and covers all of the mission mentioned at the end of last chapter.
> 
> There are some original characters in this chapter who partake in recreational drug use. It's near the end of the chapter, so if that bothers you, skip the scene. (I'll be nice and mark it. For once.)  
> I think it's more humorous than disturbing, and it's not an addictive drug, but to each their own.

"Hey, genius–"

"Please stop referring to me as that," Squall muttered as he poked his head out of the back of the boat. "I'm not a genius."

Seifer rolled his eyes, used to Squall's refusal. "Do you know where the orphanage was down here? I know there was a lighthouse, but I don't know where, exactly, on the continent–"

Squall appeared at his shoulder and pointed at the spot on the map. "The Cape of Good Hope."

"Huh. Why don't we make a stop–?"

"It's out of the way and there are ten scientists that need us to find them," Squall interrupted before Seifer could talk him into visiting their childhood home. He wanted to go, too, but they had a duty...

"Maybe they crossed to that side and they're hiding out in the building," Seifer suggested. "It would be the safest place to wait for rescue, not to mention the most comfortable. We could save ourselves _months_ of looking."

Squall sighed. "I hate you," he informed the blond before returning to the small cot they'd set up under the awning on deck. There was space under the deck for the entire scientist team and themselves, but rather than traverse the underbelly of the sturdy ship when they were better off staying in shouting range, they'd set up a small one-person room that they rested in when it wasn't their turn at the controls.

Seifer took Squall's irritated comment as his agreement, so turned them towards the Cape, completely bypassing the impact crater. It would take them another few days to reach the orphanage, having to go around the crater, but it was worth it.

-0-

"I knew this would be a wasted trip," Squall said as they finished checking the last bedroom for any signs of inhabitants.

"Not a complete waste. Look, I think I found one of Chicken-Head's cars." Seifer held up a bright blue vehicle that was rusting on the back bumper.

"That one belonged to Lonny," Squall corrected before stepping past Seifer to head back to the boat.

Seifer tossed the car over his shoulder and grabbed for Squall's arm. "Hey! How do you remember stuff like that, anyway?"

Squall sighed and gave the blond a tired look. "I told Shiva not to take any of my memories of this place."

"Then what did she take?" Seifer demanded. " 'Cause I'm here to tell you, there wasn't a hell of a lot else, back then. I mean, the more I want to forget, the more I can remember about this place, but those memories are really fuzzy."

"It doesn't matter," Squall insisted, pulling away.

"It _does_ ," Seifer insisted, getting a better grip on Squall's arm and refusing to let go. "Come on, Squally. What have you been hiding all these years?"

" _Nothing_ ," Squall insisted.

"It's _something_ ," Seifer insisted right back. "You remember things with the clarity of someone who never had a GF in your head, you could read and write as well as Matron by the age of five, everything they ever threw at us at Garden you mastered without any trouble... You insist you're not a genius, but you clearly are... And then there's that _journal_ of yours!" He shook Squall's arm. "Dammit, Squall! Stop fucking _hiding_ things from me!"

Squall stared at Seifer in surprise for a few minutes before reaching up to try and pry Seifer's hand off his arm, only for the grip to tighten. "This has really been bothering you," he murmured, letting the hand on his arm be.

Seifer took a deep breath, almost as surprised by his outburst as Squall had been. "You're my best friend," he said, looking away, "sometimes... my only friend, I think."

"You'd have friends without me."

"No." Seifer snorted. "People can't stand me. They only put up with me because of you."

Remembering the Seifer in his memories, Squall thought he might have something there. But still... "Rai and Fuu aren't sticking around because of me; they like you for you."

"You don't know that."

Squall opened his mouth to insist that, _yes_ , he knew that Fujin and Raijin would be there without Squall, but then he realised that would admit to his memories. _'I can't burden Seifer with this,'_ he reminded himself, mouth snapping shut. _'This is my cross to bear, and sharing it...'_

What was so wrong with sharing memories?

Seifer let go and started past Squall, seeing the way the other boy had opened his mouth, then stopped himself. "Forget it," he hissed, furious with himself for being so pathetic when Squall was never going to tell him anything.

"I...told you about the Ghost," Squall started, swallowing against a knot in his throat, uncertain if it came from watching Seifer turn away from him in anger or from sharing his secret.

Seifer froze. _'The ghost? ...The one with the scar, I remember.'_

Squall looked past Seifer towards the outside of the orphanage, where he'd met his future self. "A few days after that, I started... I don't know. I _knew_ things. Like, you dared me to eat off the berry vine out back and I knew how to tell which ones were okay to eat. I could read books like I'd been doing it all my life, and I understood what all the words meant.

"And then..." Squall leaned back against the wall while Seifer turned to look at him, eyes wide, but not disbelieving. "Then the memories started coming. I remembered years of studying at Garden and fighting a war against a Sorceress from the future, who was possessing Sorceresses of the present to do her bidding. I remembered... almost dying, and getting lost in the darkness of time. I remembered seeing myself, as a child, running off to find Sis for the umpteenth time, as if that time would be different than all the others.

"The Ghost... he was me, see. And his scar–" Squall reached up to trace the line between his eyes, "–was given to him by Seifer – by _you_ – the day before his SeeD exam. And he gave that Seifer a mirror scar. That Squall, that _me_ , would always trace his scar when something irritated him or he was tired, and I sort of picked up the habit. And then you gave me my scar, and it... I like having it. I'm sorry that I hurt you, but–"

Seifer took two quick steps forward and pulled Squall into a hug, mind reeling with everything his friend had said and just needing a moment of silence to sort out his thoughts. He was surprised to find Squall slumping against him, pressing his face against Seifer's shoulder. _'Squall,'_ he thought, tightening his arms around the other boy, _'how long have you been keeping this to yourself? How long have you been hiding all these secrets from everyone and keeping on like they're not wearing on you? How long have you been telling yourself you have to bear this on your own?'_

"Please, please, please...don't leave me," Squall whispered.

"I won't," Seifer promised. "I'm not leaving you, you idiot. Not now, not ever."

Squall swallowed and took a moment to gather himself before pulling back. "We should be looking for those scientists," he said, eyes flickering up towards Seifer's face and finding only a thoughtful expression there. _'He believes me? He doesn't think I'm crazy? He didn't...he said he wouldn't leave.'_

"Yeah, we should," Seifer agreed and they turned together to head back to the boat. Just outside the main door of the orphanage, Seifer said, "Thanks. For telling me."

Squall nodded and they continued on in silence, the younger boy taking the boat controls and giving Seifer the chance to consider what he'd learned.

-0-

"Hey, Squally, we're here," Seifer said, touching the younger boy's shoulder.

Squall's eyes snapped opened and he looked for a moment like he was seconds from gutting Seifer, but then he relaxed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Inside the crater, or out?" he asked.

"Outside. Near the Ruins, since you marked them on the map. You okay?"

Squall shrugged as he sat up. "It's nothing."

Seifer considered that for a moment, then said, "Squall, please don't lie to me."

The brunet froze, in the act of strapping Revolver to his belt. "I'm not..." He determinedly continued attaching his favoured weapon. "It was just a dream, from the Ghost. I get them pretty often."

"What about?" Seifer wondered. "Garden?"

Squall sighed and grabbed some travel rations for himself, which he dropped in the small pouch he kept potions and the such in. "The Ghost and the other Seifer were... rivals, really. Enemies, during the war. They sparred a lot. It was just a dream of one of those many matches." He looked up at the other boy. "Why?"

"I'm curious," Seifer admitted. "You have these memories of another life and that's kinda cool. It's like... a shot of our future, what it could be."

"Could have been," Squall corrected, motioning for Seifer to precede him out. "You never made SeeD in that world."

Seifer winced. "No wonder you weren't surprised when I screwed it up," he muttered.

Squall snorted. "I don't need memories of another you to know you have a problem with authority, Seifer."

Seifer conceded that point and they worked in silence to get the boat moored. Once the boat was secured, they started off in the general direction of the Centra Ruins, interested in both seeing if there were any signs of the scientist team and collecting the GFs Squall had said were there.

After a good thirty minutes of walking and occasionally slaughtering a monster or two, Squall asked, "Do you want to become a Sorceress Knight?"

Seifer looked up in surprise. "Huh? Yeah, sure. I mean, I suppose being SeeD is sort of the opposite, since they were created to stop Sorceresses, right?"

Squall nodded. "Yes. To stop Ultimecia, specifically, but stopping any Sorceress gone mad with power is important. We don't need another Adel on our hands."

"Ultimecia?" Seifer repeated, frowning both at the unfamiliar name and the way it caused a chill to go down his spine.

"The Sorceress from the future," Squall explained. "She possessed – _will_ possess – Matron."

"Why Matron?" Seifer demanded, frowning.

"She's a Sorceress. And she received Ultimecia's powers upon her death."

Seifer mouthed that sentence a couple times before shaking his head. "There is a very good chance we're going to be here for months; start at the beginning."

"The beginning?" Squall murmured, watching the horizon for danger. "I don't remember some parts – Shiva took them from me at my request – but I'll tell you what I remember."

"I can accept that."

-0-

Squall had, indeed, started at the very beginning, going from his earliest memories from the other Squall – the 'Ghost', he'd insisted on calling him – and being as clear about things as he could. It took him about two weeks to get through everything, what with fighting monsters – especially Odin and the Tonberries – and sleeping cutting into the story time. Seifer was in turns amused at the stories of their time together in Garden and sad for the the other Squall and Seifer who hadn't enjoyed the friendship he had with his Squall.

He thought that 'the Ghost' sounded pretty lonely, and when he mentioned that to Squall, the younger boy said, "He was. The really sad thing is, though... He didn't think he was lonely. He thought he was just fine like that, without anyone getting close to him."

The other Seifer's fall from grace was a rather pathetic tale, Seifer thought. Failing at the exam three times, then running into the arms of the first person willing to accept him was just sad. Even if that person wore Matron's face. Agreeing to bomb the only real home he'd ever had didn't really sound like him, no matter how ticked off at Cid he was, but Squall had no insight into his possible motives, especially since a lot of that time period was hazy from Shiva's memory-thieving.

"I know I asked her to take those memories for a reason," Squall said with a helpless shrug, "and I know they were bad – I'm pretty sure they gave me nightmares – but I don't know what happened during them."

"If it was important, she'd let you have the memory back, though, right?" Seifer asked.

"Yeah. And I wrote everything down in my journal, anyway."

"Which is why you never let anyone near the thing." Seifer rolled his eyes. "So, since you're telling me everything, can I read it now?"

"No." Squall shot him a dark look.

Seifer sighed, resigned to either stealing the damn thing and chancing disembowelment, or making do with whatever Squall told him. "So, racing against missiles? Tell me they missed."

The story of Garden being able to move was too awesome for words, finding out that Squall had been made SeeD Commander explained a lot of Cid's actions towards the youngest SeeD over the years, and the concert Selphie put together was so her, it was hysterical. Hearing about the ruins of Trabia Garden made Seifer's chest tight, especially since he'd quite liked the small Garden, even if it _was_ too pastel for his tastes. Equally troubling was Squall's descriptions of Irvine finally reminding everyone of their shared history.

"That's why you wanted photos," Seifer realised. "You knew we were all going to forget because of the GFs and Irvy would be the only one who remembered. And maybe you, considering your journal."

Squall nodded. "Zell told me, when I asked him about it at one point, that he liked to stare at his photo at night, before bed, so he would be able to recognise all of us on sight and never miss a moment. Quis told me that photo was her lifeline at her new house; sort of a promise that we were all still out there, so she had something to keep striving towards. I know _I_ took comfort in my copy."

"Me too," Seifer admitted. "I know I joked back then about losing it, but after Zell was really gone, that picture became kind of important. And then Quis and Selph and Irvy all left and that was the only thing I had left of them." He sighed and stared up at the stars above their camp for the night for a long moment before saying, "You know, when we get back, we should see about taking another photo of all of us. With Fuu and Rai and Xu, too."

"Yeah, we should," Squall agreed with a faint smile.

Squall's description of the battle between Galbadia Garden and Balamb Garden was so emotionless and factual that Seifer wondered if he wasn't hiding something about it. Then he stumbled through the mention of what had happened to the non-Garden girl they'd picked up, and Seifer thought he might understand what his friend's problem was.

"The Ghost, he really liked this girl, Rinoa, didn't he?"

Squall shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know. I'm not even sure _he_ knew. He was still trying to learn to open up to people again and then she went into a coma. His emotions during that time are a complete jumble of nonsense that I can't even _begin_ to untangle, and I'd like to think I'm at least a _little_ less emotionally stunted than he was."

Seifer laughed. "You have your moments," he commented, "but, yeah, I think you're probably better than him. You tend to say more than 'whatever', at least."

"Whatever," Squall replied, rolling his eyes.

Seifer caught sight of the glint of humour in the too-blue eyes and chuckled. "So, the Ghost came to the conclusion that he really loved this chick for some reason or another and moped around for a few days while he should have been helping sort the Gardens out."

Squall snorted. "Basically. By the time he got his head out of his ass, Galbadia Garden had been sorted and they were en route to FH, since Matron wanted to head for Esthar. Uhm, somewhere in there they caught up with the White SeeD and found out Sis had jumped to an Esthar ship, and he thought she would be able to help him, so..."

"Off to Esthar he went?"

"With Rinoa on his back."

"Oh, sweet Hyne."

Squall snorted. When he'd first started sorting through the memories as a kid, he'd had a vague notion that the Ghost's actions had been romantic and knightly, but seven years and a dose of reality gave him a similar opinion to Seifer.

Descriptions of Esthar made Seifer grin and vaguely consider looking into demanding a long holiday for a trip. The trip into space sounded cool, Adel being alive not so cool, and the whole death defying rescue of Rinoa made Seifer laugh, especially when Squall wryly described the cuddling in the cockpit.

"The poor Ghost. I get the sense Miss Rinoa was well aware of what _she_ wanted and perfectly willing to use his emotions against him to get it," Seifer commented once he'd stopped laughing.

"It's certainly possible," Squall agreed drily, slowing the boat a bit as they came to a tricky patch. They'd ended up deciding to take the boat through the inside of the crater and look for the scientists' boat to narrow down the area they'd likely be in, rather than hiking the crater on foot. It was a little faster, but parts of the crater weren't particularly deep, so navigating it was proving a bit tricky.

Squall made Seifer laugh even harder when he described, in a drily amused tone, the series of events surrounding Rinoa's failed sealing and how they basically stole the impressive Estharian ship the Ghost and Rinoa had picked up in space. When Squall started describing the meeting with the Estharian President, Seifer asked, "Laguna Loire? Why does that name sound important?"

"He's the one Sis kept sending us visions of," Squall replied with a shrug. After a brief moment, he added, "And, according to the people of Winhill, he's my father."

Seifer's eyes lit at the reminder of a brief conversation they'd had during one of the few times they'd both been in Garden last year. Seifer had been forced to drag practically every word out of Squall's mouth – which was more than any of their other friends had managed, according to Raijin – but he learned the basics of Squall's tragic family story, including that he and Big Sis Elle were actually adopted siblings and distant cousins, his mother had died a few months after childbirth from an illness that she'd caught while pregnant, and Squall's father had vanished at one point and never returned.

"Don't you want to get to know him, then?" Seifer asked cautiously.

Squall shrugged. "I don't need a father, especially one who might very well try to dictate my actions because I'm only twelve."

Seifer sighed. "I suppose. Still... You've got a real dad out there, Squally; that's more than the rest of us can say."

"I know." Squall leaned a little further over the edge of the boat, watching the bottom of the crater for any areas too high for them to chance. "And maybe I'll try and contact him in the future, but not right now."

Seifer decided that was the best he was going to get out of his friend. "So, how did Laguna's insane plan pan out?"

Squall went on to describe their trip through the Lunatic Pandora, including the other Seifer's defeat of Odin – which made Seifer grin quite smugly – and their battle with Adel. Descriptions of Time Compression were confusing, at best, and while Squall was easily able to describe the body-strewn beach outside the orphanage and the outside of Ultimecia's castle, he had only hazy memories of the inside, and no memories at all of their battle with the uber bitch herself.

"I know they reached and fought her," Squall added quietly. "And I know they beat her, because I remember Matron receiving her powers when we were kids, but something must have happened during that battle that didn't sit well with me and Shiva took it. I have vague memories of an all-encompassing darkness and this crushing sense of being completely alone, then seeing myself at four running by, looking for Sis again. I _sort_ of know what Ultimecia looks like, but only after we defeated her."

"If you passed her on the street, you'd know her, though, right?" Seifer asked.

Squall grimaced. "Yeah. If not by her appearance, by her aura; that was one thing that followed her from body to body. The Ghost didn't notice it around Rinoa until she was properly possessed and moving around, though, and he didn't think to associate it with Matron's possession until after Rinoa was freed again. At any rate, yes, I will know her if I see her again, even if she's in a stolen body."

Seifer nodded, then narrowed his eyes as he spotted what looked suspiciously like a boat. "Squall."

The brunet looked up from the controls of their craft and followed Seifer's line of sight to the thing that had caught his attention. "Huh."

"Huh?" Seifer looked back at his friend with a strange look. "What is 'huh'?"

Squall snorted. "That's the White SeeD ship. I told you they like to dock in Centra sometimes."

"So Matron and Sis Elle are on there?"

"Probably." Squall shot the blond a sharp look. "Scientists, Seifer."

"Another set of eyes, Squally," Seifer returned.

"They don't react well to strangers," Squall pointed out, but he was already turning them towards the long white ship.

"We're just kids; why would they fear us?" Seifer asked in his most innocent voice.

"Hm." Squall switched gears to slow down a notch as the other ship turned a bit, a line of SeeDs dressed in white and carrying weapons in their hands coming into view along the railing. "I'd say they're telling us to back off."

"They know Cid, right?" Seifer asked, tensing as he eyed the line of potential enemies.

"He's as much their caretaker and leader as he is ours," Squall agreed.

Seifer nodded and cupped his hands around his mouth to shout, "Ahoy, White SeeDs! We bring tidings from Cid Kramer!"

"No, we don't," Squall muttered.

"Shut up."

A woman slipped between a couple of SeeDs, much to their displeasure – there were some frantic hand motions as they tried to get her to step back. Both boys recognised Matron and Seifer immediately started waving, a grin blooming across his face. The woman turned to say something to the line of SeeDs and they all slowly slipped their weapons away, though they remained tense.

Once the boats were in range to allow for boarding, Matron said, "Seifer, Squall, it's good to see you again," from her position at the railing of the larger ship.

"It's good to see you too, Matron," Seifer agreed as Squall brought their little craft to a complete stop.

Matron smiled, though there was concern in her eyes. "What are you two boys doing down here? You didn't run away, did you?"

"We're on a SeeD mission to find a team of scientists that went missing a little over a month ago," Squall said as he joined Seifer at their own railing.

"You're too young to be going on SeeD missions, kids," one of the White SeeDs said with a patronising smile.

Seifer snarled and reached for where Pistol was slung across his back. "Why don't you say that to my blade, you pomp–"

"Children, behave," Matron ordered and both subsided, though they continued to shoot glares at each other when Matron wasn't looking. She looked down at Seifer and Squall with a touch of sadness in her eyes, taking in the hard lines to their faces under their tans and the darkness in their eyes. "I thought Cid and I agreed that the starting age for SeeDs would be fifteen."

"Garden was a bit strapped for gil, so Cid started an accelerated programme to graduate those of us who were excelling in the basic courses," Squall explained evenly. "Seifer and I were both advanced enough to get into the programme, in spite of our age. We've been SeeDs for two years now." When Matron looked all the more sad, he hurried to say, "It's not so bad, really. Cid gives us the easier assignments." Which was a blatant lie, but anything to ease Matron's pain.

"I'd just rather you boys were in classes with your friends, not out being paid to handle other people's business," Matron said, still sad.

"Matron?" a young woman's voice said from just out of sight and Squall stiffened in recognition.

Matron smiled and motioned the young woman forward. "We have some guests you might like to see, Elle."

"Sis?" Seifer breathed as Ellone stepped up to the edge of the railing.

Ellone's eyes widened, then her face broke out into a smile. "Squall! Seifer!" She looked hopefully at Matron. "Can I go down?"

"Definitely not," the SeeD who had mocked the boys said, scowling.

"We'll come up there," Squall said before Ellone could just jump down. It wouldn't be the first time she jumped ships against the orders of someone else.

"I'll go find the ladder..." one of the younger White SeeDs said, turning away from the railing.

"Don't bother," Seifer called, balancing on the railing of their boat and jumping to catch the edge of the White SeeDs' ship. Squall hopped up onto the railing himself and caught the hand Seifer was holding down to him, using it to lever himself up high enough to grab the edge of the large ship himself. Then they both vaulted over the edge of the railing, landing easily on the deck.

Everyone just sort of stared for a moment before Ellone shouted, "Cool!" and dove forward to hug them both.

"I want to learn how to do that," one of the White SeeDs muttered, then grunted as someone else elbowed him.

Ellone pulled back with a wide smile. "It's good to see you two again!" Her smile faltered a bit and she reached up to touch the scars on both boys' faces. "Where are these from?"

"Training accident," the two chorused in the same dry tone they always used.

"It was a while ago," Seifer added with a smile. Then his eyes took on a glint that sent warning bells ringing in Squall's mind and he commented, "I guess this means Irvy was right about the pirate theory."

Matron laughed. "After a fashion," she agreed. "How about we all go down and enjoy some lunch?"

Seifer's eyes lit. "Lunch? As in real food? As in, not Ration Packs One and Three?"

"They're not _that_ bad," Squall insisted.

"You're a freak," Seifer informed him.

"Seifer, don't call Squall a freak," Matron ordered.

"Yes, real food," Ellone interrupted, smiling between the two boys.

Seifer dropped an arm around Ellone's shoulders. "Lead the way, oh favourite older sister of mine."

Ellone giggled and obediently directed Seifer towards the stairs down into the main part of the ship, the White SeeDs around them slowly heading in the same direction.

Squall fell in next to Matron as she followed Ellone and Seifer, saying, "I'm glad to see you well, Matron."

Matron smiled and ran a light hand through Squall's mess of hair. "As I am to see you doing well, Squall. Even if you _are_ a SeeD before your time."

"It's really not that bad," Squall promised. "Seifer and I go out on missions together every once in a while, and when we're apart, we're with some other SeeDs who are friends. And Quis, Zell, Selph, and some of our other friends are all back at Balamb Garden for when we're home." He shrugged. "And for our first mission, we stayed with the Gustafsons in Deling and they've sort of adopted us."

Matron's smile brightened at that. "Do you like Chris and Greg?"

Squall grimaced faintly. "Christal's a bit overbearing, sometimes, but they're nice enough. We trade letters with them, and we'll stop by when we're in Deling, even if we're just changing trains. Seifer usually ends up partnered with October, whose parents also live in Deling, so it always turns into a party and overnight sleepover, from what October tells me. Though, considering how Seifer always gets sick on trains, I suppose it's as much to make the adults happy as it is to put off the inevitable."

Matron laughed at that. "At least you're getting to see the world," she decided. "And you're having fun while doing so, from the sounds of it."

Squall nodded. "Yeah. One of my missions landed me in Winhill and I got to hear all about my birth mother, and Seifer ended up at Trabia Garden for a bit, where Selph was until she transferred to be with the rest of us. We do more than go out and kill monsters that are invading towns."

"I still don't like the idea of you skipping so much of your time as students," Matron murmured as they took seats at the large table in the underbelly of the ship. A couple of curious children were standing at one end, uncertain, and Matron waved them over. "It's okay, children. This is Squall and Seifer. They're friends."

Seifer grinned at the kids while Squall tried a faint smile, hoping he looked friendly enough. Since the kids slipped in around the table, including one next to him, he figured he'd managed well enough. He turned to the boy who'd climbed in next to him and tried his smile again. "Hello."

The boy watched him with big eyes for a long minute before reaching up and touching Squall's scar. "Ouchy," he said.

On the other side of the table, Seifer snorted into his hand and very firmly looked away from the sharp look Squall shot him.

"It doesn't hurt any more," Squall promised the little boy once he'd dealt with Seifer.

The boy considered that for a moment, then nodded and turned his attention to Revolver, which Squall had set next to his chair before sitting down. "Big sword."

"Gunblade," Squall corrected.

The SeeD who had mocked them out on deck sat next to the boy at Squall's side and said, "Quite a big weapon for such a small guy. I assume it's just decorative."

Across the table, Seifer tensed and shot the White SeeD a heated look, but the elder SeeD was distracted by the blank stare Squall was pinning him with, his smug smile lagging under the empty grey eyes. Finally, after a good five minutes of staring, Squall said, "Only as decorative as your little sword, considering how little damage it must do." Then he smiled, though his eyes had sharpened with icy promise.

The White SeeD narrowed his eyes. "Do you have _any_ idea who you're talking to, boy?" he hissed.

"Beau!" Matron exclaimed.

"Beau Owens, twenty-four years of age, SeeD Rank fifteen. Captain of Sorceress Edea's White SeeDs. Previously a lieutenant of the Galbadian navy before being hired on by Cid Kramer to protect Ellone Loire," Squall recited, having hacked the Garden database years ago and looked up the White SeeDs for the hell of it. "Both of your parents are deceased, and you have a younger sister, Lauren 'Wizzy' Owens, who resides in your apartment in Dollet Town and attends the public high school."

Beau blinked a few times in disbelief. Around them, everyone else was watching the two with wide eyes.

Seifer burst out laughing.

"There is _no way_ you could know all that," Beau hissed, pointing a shaking hand at Squall.

"He hacks databases in his free time," Seifer informed their angry 'host' before looking at Squall. "I thought you were sticking to the Galbadian databases, though."

Squall shrugged. "I was bored and looking for a challenge."

"Oh dear," Matron said while Ellone started giggling.

"How challenging was it?" Seifer wondered, entirely too amused by watching his best friend take the arrogant White SeeD down a couple pegs. Of course, now that he knew that Squall had experience with Estharian technology, his ease with other computer systems made a lot more sense.

Squall considered that for a moment. "Moderately more challenging than Galbadia's system. It's a bit better, now that Galbadia Garden is working to update their security, but I can still get into the system in under an hour."

"I will _report you_ ," Beau spat, one hand grabbing for his sword.

"No weapons at the table!" Matron snapped, and Beau's hand withdrew from his sword. Squall and Seifer, who had both reached for hidden knives, slowly removed their hands from the hilts.

"Cid knows I hacked the Garden database," Squall replied calmly. "He's asked me to do so a couple of times since I made SeeD, to let them know where they could improve their security. So, please, report me. While you're at it, you can report yourself for insubordination towards your superiors."

" _What_ superiors?" Beau spat. "All I see are couple of boys just out of diapers! Don't make me laugh!"

"Squall has a SeeD Rank of twenty-three," Seifer said, smiling none-too-nicely. "And I'm Rank twenty-two."

A stunned silence followed that announcement, everyone looking between the two boys in disbelief.

Squall shot Beau a blank look, then held out his hand over the boy at his side's head. "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot; I'm SeeD Squall Leonhart and that's SeeD Seifer Almasy. We both specialise in covert operations and short-range weaponry."

Beau stared at the boy for a long minute, taking in the hard edge to his gaze and the warning of ice glinting in quicksilver eyes. He took the offered hand. "SeeD Beau Owens, Captain of Sorceress Edea's SeeDs. I specialise in short- and mid-range weaponry."

Squall nodded and withdrew his hand. "We're here searching for a ship of scientists that vanished a little over a month ago; I don't suppose you've seen another ship in or around the crater?"

Beau frowned in thought and turned his eyes to look over his people. "Nicholas, didn't you report another ship last week up near the northern inner beach of the crater?"

"Huh?" The young SeeD – no older than fifteen, by Squall's estimates – scratched the back of his head. "Oh, yeah. They look like they took a beating against the rock rise up there, though. Doubt there are any survivors."

Squall considered his mental map of the Centra crater. "If they were near the beach, some of them could have been ashore during the damage or jumped ship and swam." He glanced at Seifer.

The blond nodded. "Only thing we can do is check it out. If nothing else, we can report back about their deaths."

Squall turned back to Beau. "Thank you, Captain; you may well have just saved us a month of searching."

"Certainly," Beau replied and they all turned their attention to lunch and topics of lighter things, such as the fish the children had spent the afternoon watching a few days ago over the edge of the ship.

Once lunch was over, they retired up to the deck to trade their goodbyes.

"Can't you stay around for a couple days?" Ellone pleaded.

"Sorry, Sis," Seifer replied with true regret. "We've got a job to do; no time for visiting. Next time you're in Balamb, though, you should stop in and see everyone. No promise that Squally or I will be there, but Selph, Quis, and Chick– ah, Zell will."

"Seifer, stop calling Zell names," Matron ordered, though her fond smile belied her stern tone.

"Sorry, Matron."

Squall rolled his eyes and turned back to Beau. "I don't know when you'll be touching land again, but we're willing to take any messages or letters back with us. Assuming this is the ship we're looking for and we can confirm the death or survival of the scientists, we should be back in Balamb within three weeks."

The Captain frowned a bit and looked towards where a number of his people were watching over the group of children they had aboard. "We're not intending to make landfall again for another five months or so, so your offer is appreciated. But I'm uncertain that anyone has anything they want to send out right this moment."

Squall shrugged and offered, "We'll probably be in the crater for at least another four days or so, getting to the ship and collecting any survivors or empirical proof of their deaths."

Beau nodded his understanding. "I'll let my crew know." He hesitated for a brief moment, then held out a hand for Squall to take. "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot."

Squall clasped the hand. "I'm used to people underestimating me."

Beau snorted at that. "That's one way to put it." He stepped back and offered Seifer a nod. "SeeD Almasy."

The blond boy considered him for a moment before nodding back. "Captain Owens." Then he turned to Squall. "Come on, Squally."

Squall shared hugs with Matron and Ellone, then jumped down with Seifer to their own boat and left the blond to take his turn at the controls.

"That was nice," Seifer commented once they were under way.

"Seeing them again? Yes, it was," Squall agreed, taking up his position at the rail to watch for tricky patches.

They continued on in silence for another five hours or so before breaking for supper.

"Hey, Squall?" Seifer asked once he'd finished his rations.

"Hm?"

"What are you going to do about Ultimecia?"

Squall considered that for a moment, playing with a bottle of water. "Nothing," he finally said.

"No–!" Seifer shot Squall a disbelieving look.

"For now," Squall amended. "Until she makes herself known in this time frame, there's nothing I _can_ do."

"But once she's here?"

"Play it by ear." Squall shrugged. "Find Sis and have her send Ultimecia back to the young Adel to create Time Compression. Take her on again and defeat her."

"Not alone, you won't," Seifer insisted.

Squall blinked once in surprise, then offered his best friend a small smile. "I know."

Seifer nodded and jumped to his feet. "Good. We've got a few more hours of daylight." He held down a hand to help Squall up, which the younger boy took. "Let's find these idiots and go home."

"Sounds good," Squall agreed, moving to take his turn at the controls.

-0-  
 **DRUGGIES AHOY**  
-0-

"What the fuck are they doing?" Seifer wondered, staring at where the group of scientists they'd come to rescue were... Actually, Seifer wasn't sure _what_ they were doing. Three of them seemed to think they were a train, while another two were zooming around like the fighter jets of old Centra, making gun noises at each other. The last three were just sort of sitting in the middle of the field, nakedly giggling to themselves. (Thankfully, the two female scientists had retained their clothing and were a part of the 'train'.)

Squall leaned down and pulled out a mushroom. He scowled when the bottom of it bruised, then tossed it to one side. " _Psilocybin_ ," he spat.

"In Common, please," Seifer requested, blinking as both 'fighter jets' converged on the 'train' and the lot of them fell into a giggling heap.

"They're high off of mushrooms," Squall muttered, disgusted. "Fucking Hyne, and these are supposed to be the brightest people of our time?"

"You can get high off mushrooms?" Seifer wondered, looking down at the field that was covered in... mushrooms, actually. A field of mushrooms.

Squall was surprised out of his disgust and he turned to his friend. "Yes? Don't you remember... Oh." He rubbed at his scar while Seifer gave him an odd look. "Right, they didn't introduce that class until later. This is probably why." He shot an irritated look towards the scientists, then looked back at Seifer. "When the Ghost was thirteen or so, Garden added a required class to the curriculum that explained the dangers of certain mushrooms. You know how, in Survival, we had a section on how to differentiate between wild berries or mushrooms that were edible and those that would make you sick?"

"Yeah, sure."

"This is sort of the same thing, except these mushrooms naturally contain a psychedelic drug called psilocybin. In small doses, especially if the mushroom is fresh, it's not really a problem, but _these_ idiots have probably been living off these mushrooms for _days_." He scowled towards the scientists again.

Seifer glanced towards the group and grimaced. "How long before they start dropping dead from overdose?"

"They probably won't," Squall allowed. "Psilocybin isn't all that toxic, considering, and this particular species of mushroom is generally safe for consumption, so they should be okay. It's also not addictive, so we shouldn't have to worry about weaning them off the mushrooms." He sighed. "They could have picked a worse drug to get high on."

"Right. So, now what? Drag them to our ship and lock them in the hold? And what happened to the other two scientists and the crew?"

"I expect we'll learn the answers to those questions once they're sober," Squall replied drily. "For now, yes, let's lock them in the hold. If you have to knock them around a bit to get them moving, go for it. They'd probably benefit from the bad trip."

Seifer snorted and they started the long, tedious process of leading a line of high adults who were constantly distracted by anything remotely shiny into their ship and down into the hold. Water was forced on each of them, as well as some rations. Blankets were handed to the three naked scientists – which one decided to wear as a toga and the other two tied together to play tug-of-war with – then the boys returned to the deck and Squall dragged over a heavy line of rope to keep the door down closed.

"How long until they're sober?" Seifer asked as he popped open a bottle of water for himself.

"Effects can last up to six hours after ingestion," Squall stated. "We can check on them every two hours or so and see if any of them are starting to come around. Until then, we can probably try getting aboard their ship and seeing what we can find."

"Might as well," Seifer agreed.

They managed to bring their boat next to the damaged ship without too much trouble. Since it was listing slightly, half buried in the bottom of the crater, they were able to climb aboard without their acrobat act from the White SeeD ship. They'd traded their gunblades for torches, a couple crowbars, and a line of rope that they tied between their waists and a sturdy part of the railing on the damaged ship, in case of any accidents.

They found their answers to what happened to the crew, at least, in the cabin.

"Well, fuck," Seifer said, looking at the line of blood splatters rising from behind the heavy desk, which had come unattached from the floor and slammed two people against a wall with enough force to kill them. The last person had been impaled next to the door with a stake of wood from where the desk used to reside.

Squall calmly tugged the desk away from the two bodies just enough to see who they were. "Captain and first mate. Don't come over here, Seifer," he added as the older boy moved to join him.

Seifer stopped in the middle of the room and considered his options for a moment before turning away from the desk; if Squall said no, it was probably with good reason. "That's the three crew members, but we've still got two missing scientists."

"Let's check out the hold, then," Squall suggested quietly.

The hold was almost completely filled with water, a giant hole in one side explaining why the ship was listing. One of their missing scientists was floating in the water, long dead, but the other was still unaccounted for.

"Either he went out that hole when it happened, or the other scientists will hopefully know," Seifer said as they untied their lines and jumped back to their own boat.

Squall nodded and glanced at Revolver for a moment before shaking his head and starting towards the door to the hold. "I'll go see if any of them have regained their senses yet."

Seifer snorted. "Good luck."

Squall sighed and ducked through the door and started down the stairs. About halfway down, he stopped and brought up a hand to rub at his eyes. _'Oh, for fuck's sake.'_

In the back of his mind, Shiva giggled at him.

Squall opened his eyes again and looked at where the two female scientists were in the process of making out, hands under each other's shirts, while the males were all cheering them on. He rubbed at his eyes again, calling, "Innocent eyes, here!"

There was a startled silence from the scientists, then one of them mumbled, "Who let da kid in?"

"Ignore 'im," another insisted.

Squall grabbed for the handgun he wore at the small of his back on one of his many belts and loudly clicked off the safety. "This is only going to hurt a little," he promised as they all turned back to him with confused looks.

"Squall, no!" Seifer shouted, shoving past the door and hurrying down the stairs. "We can't kill them."

"I wasn't going to," Squall said, watching the group of worried adults with a dark gleam to his eyes. "Just hurt them a bit, help sober them up."

Seifer grabbed the gun and snapped the safety back into place. He shoved the gun into the back of his own trousers before forcefully turning the younger boy on the stairs and starting to lead him back up. "I think it's your nap time. Come on."

Incidentally, Squall's actions did exactly what he'd wanted: The scientists spent the rest of the time under the effects of the mushrooms shivering in terror and not having an ounce of fun.

-0-  
 **EVERYONE'S SOBER AGAIN**  
-0-

According to the scientists, the missing man had been on the ship during the storm, so he'd probably been washed out the hole and drowned at sea. There had been a great deal of disbelief that a couple of kids had been sent to save them, as well as a shouting match between Seifer and the scientists about allowing them back onto their ship to put their crew and fellow scientist to rest. Squall dispelled all further arguments by describing, in graphic detail, the way the one crew member had been pinned to the wall. (The scientists apparently decided arguing with a psychopath – what they called Squall when they thought the two SeeDs weren't listening – was not a wise choice.)

The scientists' ship was set afire where it rested, acting as a sort funeral pyre. It was the only concession the boys were willing to make for the scientists, especially when three of them were running around in sheets.

Before they left the crater, they were hailed by the White SeeD ship and slowed to a stop to let them come abreast.

One of the scientists was topside, watching the two boys suspiciously, when the larger ship came into sight, and he looked distinctly worried when the boys seemed to see nothing wrong with this _obvious_ danger. "Are you selling us to them?" he demanded.

"Oh, can it, old man," Seifer snapped, tired of dealing with the scientists already. If they all made it back to Balamb without someone dying, it would be a miracle.

Beau was at the railing as the two boats settled next to each other. "Good morning, gentlemen. I see you found your objective. One of them, at least."

"The other seven are in the hold," Seifer replied drily. "Want any scientists?"

The scientist on deck let out a horrified sound and scuttled back under the awning to stare with distrustful eyes at the blond boy.

Beau snorted. "No, thank you." He glanced towards Squall, who stood next to the controls. "I have letters, if you're still willing to take them back with you."

"Certainly," Squall agreed.

"Ah, and one other thing?" Beau grimaced slightly. "One of our kids wants to train at Balamb."

"Well, of course the kid does," Seifer agreed sagely. "Balamb Garden is _way_ cooler than your boat."

"I am going to respectfully _ignore you_ , SeeD Almasy," Beau informed the blond, making Seifer laugh. "Will you take her?" he asked Squall.

Squall glanced towards the skittish scientist. "Can you fools behave yourselves if we bring a child aboard?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" the scientist snapped.

"Uh, when we found you, you were pretending you were a fighter jet in a mushroom field," Seifer reminded the man, taking pleasure in watching him turn red with embarrassment. "And three of your fellows had completely lost their clothing. Which reminds me–" he turned towards Beau, who was watching on with a look of confused amusement, "–I don't suppose you've got any clothing for three men about his size, do you?"

"We might," Beau allowed. "Is there a _reason_ your... guests were acting so... unprofessional?"

Squall sighed. "They ate some psychedelic mushrooms. Which reminds me, you might want to avoid letting your orphans out on the northern beach. Unless you _want_ them hallucinating for six hours."

"I'll keep that in mind," Beau agreed, turning away from the railing. "Maria! Could you see if Michael is willing to donate a few changes of clothing to a worthy cause?"

"How many is a few?" the young woman in question called back.

"At least three. Oh, and tell Matron she can send Roxy up." He turned back towards the smaller ship with a faint smile. "I'm going to go hunt down our ladder."

Squall waved him off, turning back to their scientist. "You might want to let the others know we're taking aboard a young girl, and that we might have clothing for your three friends."

"How do I know you won't lock us down in the hold again?" the scientist demanded.

"The only latrine is down there," Seifer snapped. "We'd have to come down eventually."

"You could always piss over the side," the scientist replied.

Seifer pulled his handgun from his belt and flipped off the safety before pointing it at the scientist. "I could shoot you in the face, too."

"We're not shooting the scientists," Squall said, though he didn't move to make Seifer put the weapon away.

The scientist decided he was better off in the hold and ran for it.

A bright laugh sounded from above them and the two boys looked up to find Ellone watching them from the edge of the railing. "That wasn't very nice, Seifer," she told him.

"What mushrooms are you eating to think I'm _nice_?" Seifer shot back as he reset the safety and slipped the gun away.

"You're nice when it suits you," Ellone replied.

Beau appeared at the railing and dropped a rope ladder over the edge to Seifer and Squall's boat. "You can go down until we're ready to leave," he told the young woman.

"Thank you, Beau," Ellone said and slipped carefully over the railing and down the ladder. Once she was steady on the new boat, she jumped over and hugged Seifer, who was closer, then moved over to hug Squall. Once that was done, she pulled out Matron's old camera and said, "I borrowed this to take pictures of us together. Matron said you took pictures before Zell left, right?"

"We did," Squall agreed while Seifer's whole face lit up. "But we're going to need another person to take the pictures."

"Oh..." Ellone frowned a bit, then looked up towards Beau. "Come down here and take our pictures!"

Beau sighed, but obediently jumped down and took the camera. Ellone got between the two boys and slipped her arms through theirs. "Smile," Beau called. Seifer and Ellone shot big grins towards the camera, while Squall managed pretty good smile, considering he didn't smile often.

After four pictures, Ellone retrieved the camera and held out two of the developing photos to Seifer and Squall. "Guard them well," she ordered in a mock serious voice.

"You have our word," Seifer agreed, just as mockingly serious. "We'll protect these photos with our lives."

Squall rolled his eyes, but his voice was grateful when he said, "Thanks, Sis."

Ellone smiled at him and leaned forward to hug him. "You're welcome, Squall."

The girl that would be accompanying them back to Balamb, Roxanne Elliot, was only six and had to be brought down the ladder on Beau's back, which she thoroughly enjoyed. The pack of letters was handed over with a pile of clothing for the scientists, then hugs were exchanged all around from Ellone and she preceded Beau back up the ladder.

"Thank you again, SeeD Leonhart," Beau said as he shook Squall's hand. "SeeD Almasy."

"It's our pleasure, Captain Owens," Squall replied. "I hope we meet again."

"I'm sure we will." Beau nodded once to Seifer, who nodded back, then turned to little Roxanne, who had attached herself to Squall's free hand. "Be good, Roxy."

"I will," she assured him, smiling. "Bye-bye, Bu-Bu."

"Bye-bye, Roxy," Beau replied with a smile, ignoring Seifer's snicker at the nickname. Then he returned to his own ship and pulled up the ladder. "Away!" he shouted to whoever was manning the bridge and their ship's motors started.

Since Squall had his hands full with Roxanne, Seifer took the controls of their boat and started them towards the northern mouth of the crater. "And away we go," he murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the information about psilocybin might be a bit wrong in places, but this was what I could find on the web without alerting the local police – or whatever XD – so this is what I wrote. Any discrepancies can be attributed to the differences between our world and this one. Magic, for one.


	8. Not Invincible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And by 'murder' in the warnings, I really mean 'mass slaughter'. *insert mad cackle here*

"Are you planning to kiss the ground again?" Squall asked Seifer as they unloaded their boat at the dock. The scientists had already been bought tickets back to Deling and sent on their way, thankfully. No one died during the trip, either, though their youngest and most hyper passenger had probably been the main cause behind the cooled tempers, as it was hard to threaten an idiot when a small child started giggling at the argument. (Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for the White SeeDs to jokingly threaten each other in raised voices, so Roxanne thought they were just playing.)

Seifer grinned. "Might. Solely for the entertainment value to the beautiful Princess Roxy, of course."

Roxanne smiled and kicked her feet against the bag she was sitting on. In her lap sat the pile of letters that Squall had decided to send out from Garden, especially since he'd spotted a couple for his friends and Cid during a quick flip-though shortly after they'd left the crater.

Squall snorted and dumped the last bag on the dock. Looking over the pile of crap they needed to take back up to Garden, he said, "I wonder if the rental company would let us borrow a car..."

"Cid might be okay with us piloting a ship, but no sane person expects a couple of kids to be able to control a car, SeeD or no," Seifer replied drily. "Do you want me to see if Mrs Chicken-Head is willing to drive us up again?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "Please don't call her that to her face. Or around Zell."

"I don't have a death wish," Seifer replied, glancing towards Roxanne. "Roxy, I'm going to be right back, okay? Behave for Squally."

Roxanne stuck her hands on her hips and gave Seifer her best impression of Matron's 'It's the Soap for You' look. "Roxy is _always_ behaved."

"Yes, you are," Squall agreed, shifting a couple bags around to make it easier to load everything into the car.

Seifer snorted in amusement and moved off. Ten minutes later, Ma Dincht drove up in her car and backed it up as close to the dock as she could. Seifer jumped out to help with the bags while Ma Dincht introduced herself to Roxanne and got the girl buckled into the car.

"Thanks again for the ride, Mrs Dincht," Squall said once they were all in the car and headed out of the city.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. I know you boys have a lot on your plate right now." She offered him a fond smile. "Whatever I can do to help."

"Mrs Dincht rang up to Garden to let them know we were on our way," Seifer added, "so we should have help with the bags."

Squall nodded. "A couple of them can be left in the carpool cupboard, but that one needs to go to the Training Centre storage and the left over water should be returned to the cafeteria."

The group of cadets were, in fact, waiting when Ma Dincht's car pulled in. They remained standing by the entrance, even when Seifer helped Roxanne out of the back seat, and the two SeeDs narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

"What?" Squall demanded as he started to unload the bags from the trunk with Ma Dincht's help.

"Where'd you pick up the kid?" Zell wondered.

"Chicken-Head, I've been resisting the urge to shoot someone for about a week and a half, now," Seifer said conversationally. "You _really_ don't want to push me."

"Naw, shootin' people's my thing," an accented voice said from behind the group of cadets.

"Irvy?" Squall recognised, surprised.

The cowboy pushed through the others while they all broke out into smiles. "Howdy," he said, tipping his hat to them.

"What are you doing here?" Seifer asked.

"I got a letter a little over a month ago from Sefie, talkin' all about how everyone but me was here at Balamb. So I put in a transfer request." He shot Squall an amused look. "Apparently, _you_ have known I was at Galbadia for three years and kept it a secret from everyone else jest to be mean."

Squall shrugged. "If you really want to vilify me, I knew where Selph was as soon as she joined Trabia four years ago."

There was a moment of silence at that, then Selphie shouted, " _Squall!_ "

Roxanne tugged on Seifer's sleeve. "Sir Squall's been bad?"

"Sir Squall is _always_ bad," Seifer informed her.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Everyone, this is Roxanne Elliot. She's transferring to Balamb Garden." He looked over at the little girl. "Roxy, these are Seifer and my friends."

Roxanne nodded and looked the cadets over with a serious air for a long moment before pointing at each person and naming them, much to the older kids' surprise. She tripped up a bit on Irvine, but she managed to remember the name Squall had called the cowboy by.

"You're the smartest princess ever," Seifer informed the girl with a proud smile.

Roxanne nodded. "I am," she agreed.

"She's so _cute_!" Selphie squealed, hurrying forward and pulling the little girl into a hug.

Roxanne giggled and hugged her back for a minute. Then she gasped and said, "Oh no! Letters!" She tugged out of Selphie's arms and looked towards the car, only for Seifer to dangle the batch in front of her face.

"Looking for these, Princess?"

Roxanne snatched the letters from his hand and shot him a grateful smile before flipping determinedly through the stack and pulling out one letter, which she handed to Selphie. "Mail!" she chirped before bouncing off to deliver letters to Zell and Quistis, as well. She paused for a moment in front of Irvine, frowning, then dashed over to Squall and held out the bundle. "Did Irvy have a letter?"

"His full name is Irvine," Squall replied.

"Okay!" Then she was running back to Irvine , pulling out the letter for him as she went and almost tripping over her feet. "Mail!" she declared, holding it up to him.

"You're precious," Irvine informed her as he took his letter.

"It's from Matron and Sis!" Selphie realised, opening her letter and finding a photo of the two women.

Seifer and Squall had also received brief letters from Matron and Ellone, as well as their own copies of the same photo, which were safely stored with the photos of them and Ellone in their bags.

"Rai, Xu, Fuu, can we get your help with these bags?" Squall asked, motioning to the bags at his feet. "Seifer, help me move these to the cupboard."

Raijin and Fujin were sent off with the bags of water to the cafeteria while Xu was sent to the Training Centre with the bag of extra weapons and other things the two SeeDs had thought they might need while rescuing the scientists. The others were told to read their letters in Raijin and Zell's room, where they could all meet up once Seifer, Squall, and Roxanne were done meeting with Cid to debrief and introduce their newest cadet.

Rather than send their bags with their friends, the two SeeDs carried them with them, though Roxanne had happily taken Selphie's offer to take her bag to their meeting spot, so she didn't have to carry it with her.

The secretary greeted them with a smile, though she glanced curiously towards Roxanne. "Welcome back, gentlemen."

"Thanks, Julia," Seifer replied pleasantly. "Is Cid free?"

"He's briefing SeeD Liew right now, but they shouldn't be long," the secretary promised, her eyes again glancing towards the six-year-old holding Squall's hand and clutching a bundle of letters to her chest.

Seifer took the hint. "This is Roxy. She's transferring to Balamb. Princess, this is Miss Julia, Uncle Cid's helper."

"Hi!" Roxanne chirped, smiling at the woman behind the desk.

Julia smiled back. "It's lovely to meet you, Roxy."

The door of Cid's office opened and Sung Liew stepped out, a folder in one hand. He blinked in surprise to see Seifer and Squall, then shot off a quick salute. "Leonhart, Almasy."

"Liew," Squall replied as they returned the salute. Then they passed each other, Liew to the lift while the younger three made their way into Cid's office.

"Knock, knock!" Seifer called as they stepped inside.

Cid's head jerked up from where he'd been staring at paperwork and his face lit up. "You're back!"

"Indeed," Squall agreed drily. "The scientists – those who survived – are on their way back to Deling. Two scientists and the crew all died during a storm which wrecked their ship. The other eight only survived by eating a type of psychedelic mushroom." He pulled a small bag of the mushrooms – which he'd gathered while the scientists were still acting insane – out of his bag and placed them on Cid's desk.

Cid picked up the bag and considered the mushrooms with a grave look. "That's troubling. Are there any adverse effects to the scientists?"

"It doesn't appear to be addictive," Seifer replied, "nor does it appear to be toxic, although we're unaware of exactly how much they ingested, as their memories were hazy. The only after-effects we saw was an extreme distrust of Squall and myself, though that could have been because Squall threatened to shoot them all."

"I only had five rounds," Squall disagreed. "Unless my aim and their positions were perfect, there was no way I could have shot _all_ of them."

"Technicalities."

Cid shook his head and set the mushrooms to one side. "I'll have to get in contact with the Trabian Society of Wildlife and see if they have more information about this." His attention turned to the young girl who was watching him with wide eyes from between the two SeeDs, her hand having transferred from Squall's to one of the brunet's belts while Squall pulled out the mushrooms. "You seem to have developed a tumour, Squall."

Seifer snickered while Squall rolled his eyes. "This is Roxanne Elliot," Squall told the Headmaster. "She's been travelling on the White SeeD ship and requested a transfer to Balamb Garden."

Cid looked surprised at that. "You met with the White SeeDs?"

"They tend to spend a great deal of time around the Centra crater when they're not gathering orphans or coming ashore to exchange mail," Seifer replied. "Which reminds me: Roxy, don't you have something for Uncle Cid?"

"Oh!" Roxanne dropped her hand from Squall's belt and flipped through her letters. Once she found the right one, she pulled it out of the pile and stepped forward to set it on the desk, informing him, "This one's for you, and these must be mailed." The rest of the pack was dropped next to Cid's letter.

Cid gathered everything up with a serious air. "Thank you, Cadet Elliot."

Roxanne smiled at him, then looked up at Squall as she took his hand again. "I'm a _cadet_ ," she informed him.

"So you are," Squall agreed.

Roxanne's smile dimmed a bit and she looked over at Seifer. "Does that mean I'm not a princess any more?"

"You'll always be 'Princess Roxy' to us," Seifer promised. "And Squally and I will always be your Knights, right?"

"Right!"

Cid chuckled. "I assume you've already met Selphie?" he asked, looking towards Roxanne, but asking the question of all of them.

"She has," Squall agreed.

Cid nodded and ducked behind his desk to get a paper from a drawer. Once he'd popped back up again, he said, "She doesn't have a roommate right now because a couple people shuffled around, including her original roommate. We don't usually room together two students with such extreme age differences, but if neither of you disagree, you can move in with Selphie." He smiled towards the girl.

Roxanne nodded. "I like Selphie," she declared. "She gave me a hug."

"They should be fine together," Seifer said.

"Excellent. Have Selphie come see me if there are any problems." Cid made a quick notation on the paper he'd pulled out, then looked back up at the two boys. "I should be able to keep you in Garden for a few months this time, unless something particularly important comes up. Go unpack and spend some time with your friends. And remember to write Chris and Greg before they come here."

"Sir!" They both performed the salute, with Roxanne a couple seconds behind, which made both Cid and Seifer grin at her while Squall ruffled her hair.

As they left the office, Cid slit open his letter and smiled at the photo of his wife and Ellone. There was also all the official paperwork he needed for Roxanne, much to his pleasure, which he set to the side to be input into the database by the technicians before turning to the actual letter. Edea would be upset with him for making Squall and Seifer SeeDs so young, but she, more than anyone, would understand _why_ he did it.

-0-

Squall and Seifer got a whole two months in Garden, which they spent catching up with their friends and ensuring Roxanne was comfortable enough in Garden for them to leave for months at a time with little to no word. Squall and Seifer spent a large portion of their time while the others were in classes either sparring in the Training Centre or gleefully hacking the Garden database at Cid's request – Seifer quickly came to learn why Squall enjoyed hacking databases so much, especially since the brunet had a mean streak and would occasionally leave nasty 'presents' for the programmers. Evenings were either spent with their friends or tutoring some particularly pitiful student that one or both boys couldn't say no to.

They also got their photos with everyone in it: Squall, Seifer, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Fujin, Raijin, Xu, Roxanne, and October (who had happened to be nearby when they found someone willing to take the picture and had then been dragged over by Selphie). Enough copies were made for all of them, plus extras for the parents who would actually want them, Matron, Ellone, and Cid. When they gave Cid his copy, he happily set it on his desk like a proud father, then asked if the two SeeDs were sending a photo to Christal and Gregory. That required that another copy be generated, then mailed out to Deling. Christal's responding letter gushing with thanks was completely worth the extra trouble.

Eventually, the missions came pouring back in and the two SeeDs were once again out of Garden more than they were in it. Cid managed to get them a couple free weeks during the spring holiday, so they got some quality time in with their friends and were able to celebrate Xu passing the SeeD exam, but then they were right back out in the field again for another year – and once Seifer turned fifteen in December, he started getting higher profile missions, putting him more at risk for being recognised outside Garden because his scar and preferred weapon were so distinctive. (Of course, with Seifer becoming so well known, people also started noticing Squall's own scar and gunblade, forcing him to cover up the scar and use alternate weapons while on even semi-undercover missions.)

That spring, Quistis took her SeeD exam and passed with flying colours. Her first official mission ended up being with October, and they both enjoyed it so much that they ended up becoming quasi-partners – as much as any SeeD ever partnered up with another SeeD.

Squall managed to get his fifteenth birthday free, though Seifer, Quistis, and October were all out on missions. His cadet friends and Xu threw him a huge party and they all stayed up late into the night in Raijin and Zell's room, talking about everything and nothing all at once.

The next morning, when Squall was called to Cid's office for his next mission brief, he was clearly grumpy and irritable, and Cid laughed at him when the teen first stepped into his office. Squall had glowered at him until he stopped, then snapped, "Where am I going?"

Cid sobered at that and slid the folder with the information in it across the desk. "Seifer and Angela King were trying to contain an uprising in one of the villages south of Winhill. I got word this morning that Angela has been killed and Seifer is withdrawing to a more defensible location until backup can get there."

Squall was already out of his seat and headed for the door, folder held in one white-knuckled hand. "I'll be at the train station in twenty minutes," he said over his shoulder.

"Take one of the new subs!" Cid called after him. "It'll get you there faster!"

Squall waved his understanding and was out the office and in the lift with barely a thought, busy scanning the information in the folder as he moved. Things weren't looking good, from what the reports said, with people from nearby villages coming in to support their neighbours against the small force of Galbadian soldiers stationed there. The army had requested backup from SeeD in quelling the revolt, and Cid had sent Seifer, who had just finished another mission in the area with Angela King.

Angela, Squall knew from working with her previously, was a mediocre SeeD who did her best work out of the public eye. Sending her on this mission had pretty much been the nails on her coffin, but the Galbadian army had demanded SeeD back them as soon as possible, and Angela had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially since Cid could never send a SeeD into a battle like this one without _some_ form of backup.

 _'Please, Seifer, don't pull any fucking stunts and actually **retreat** ,'_ Squall pleaded with his best friend as he hurried through the early morning halls of Garden. Only a couple of students and SeeDs were up, and all of them quickly moved out of Squall's way, recognising the stormy look on his face.

Squall, like most SeeDs, had a bag packed with all the essentials just inside his door, in case of an emergency. He grabbed the bag and Lion Heart – he and Seifer had both bought themselves the best versions of their preferred gunblades during a mission together in Deling City last year – then was back out the door, folder held in his mouth as he strapped his gunblade to his belt.

"Squall?" Xu called sleepily from behind him, having just come out of her room. She hurried to catch up to his quick gait. "Mission?"

"Yes," Squall said shortly as he slipped his mission folder into his bag. "Say goodbye to the others for me."

"Okay. Be safe," Xu replied, slowing down as they reached the fork and Squall turned towards the garage.

Squall waved a hand over his shoulder in response to her words.

Xu watched after him for a long moment, heart aching for how her unlikely friend was always out of Garden. She had never seen him that rushed about a mission before, and it caused a sick feeling in her stomach. She turned, finally, towards the cafeteria, hoping some mint tea would help settle her stomach.

Two hours later, Cid would announce that SeeD Angela King had been killed on assignment. Zell, sitting next to Xu at their usual table, would say, "Hey, wasn't she partnered with Seifer?"

And that's when it would hit Xu, _'He was rushing because Seifer's in trouble. Oh, sweet Hyne, please let them both get through this safely.'_

-0-

Seifer grunted as he ripped off another strip of his useless shirt to wrap the jagged cut on his right arm. He'd retreated as he'd promised, but the rebellion was determined to finish what they'd started, and he was the only person left still kicking.

 _'Kicking is a relative term,'_ Seifer thought, glancing down at his broken left leg. He wouldn't be running any further, and he could hear the villagers' angry shouts as they came to flush him out. _'Now would be a fucking **great** time for reinforcements to arrive, you know?'_ he thought, aiming his question at his exhausted GFs.

 _"Because you're really that lucky,"_ Quezacotl muttered. _"You're so going to die here."_

 _'Bright little beam of sunshine, aren't you?'_ Seifer thought back sarcastically. _'I have **plenty** of luck.'_

 _"When the Ice Child is around, sure,"_ Quezacotl agreed. _"I think that's **his** luck, though. Not yours."_

 _'Oh, shut up.'_ Quezacotl had a point, though, as loathe as Seifer was to admit it; the only missions that had gone off with barely a hitch had been those he went on with Squall. Every other mission he'd ever gone on ended up with either him or his partner – sometimes both, if his luck was especially shitty that day – badly hurt. This time was a new low, of course, as he'd never managed to get a partner _killed_.

 _'And now I get to die, too,'_ Seifer thought as the voices got ever closer. _'I never got anything for Squally's birthday, either... This is a fucking **fantastic** present. Squall, I'm sorry...'_ He closed his eyes, throat tight and eyes burning with tears.

The voices reached him, then, shouting, "I found him! We found him!"

Then everything got so very cold and silent and Seifer wondered, _'Am I dead?'_

 _"Shiva!"_ Ifrit shouted in his mind.

Seifer's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring up at the Ice Queen herself, everything around her frozen with her power. There was only one person in all of Garden that directed a Shiva that powerful and Seifer looked past the GF to where he could just see Squall coming over a rise, pausing to take in the scene before him. Seifer couldn't help but think back to the film he'd watched as a child that had inspired him to become a Sorceress Knight; in the last scene, the Knight stood atop a cliff and posed, gunblade held to one side, at rest.

That image had always remained burned in Seifer's mind, but now he looked upon the son of that actor and realised exactly how poorly Laguna Loire had managed that stance. Squall stood, not at rest, but with a cold fury in his eyes that was untouched by the way the wind drew his hair all over the place and emphasised by the sharp line of his scar. In his hands burned Lion Heart, the same colour as the ice surrounding Seifer from Squall's favourite GF.

Then Squall's gaze caught on Seifer and he was half running, half sliding across the icy ground, Shiva grabbing his elbow to stop him before he could land on Seifer. "You _idiot_ ," he hissed, pulling his shirt over his head and starting to tear it into strips to replace the blood-soaked mess on Seifer's arm, untouched by the new chill in the air, "what part of 'retreat' didn't you understand?"

"I got it, but _they_ –" he waved his good hand towards the frozen villagers, "–missed the memo about letting me get away."

Squall rolled his eyes, carefully redressing Seifer's wound. "Why do so many of your missions turn into clusterfucks, anyway?"

"Quetz says it's because you're not there," Seifer informed him.

"She might have a point," Squall muttered.

 _"Reinforcements have arrived,"_ Shiva warned loud enough for both teens to hear.

Squall balled up another strip and reached it towards Seifer's head. "Nothing hit me in the hea– Ow!"

Squall nodded and pressed the waded cloth to the cut staining Seifer's blond hair red. "Hold that there," he ordered. Once Seifer had taken over the cloth, Squall stood, grabbing Lion Heart from where he'd dropped it at his side. "I'll be right back. Shiva, protect him."

 _"I will do so, Ice Child,"_ Shiva agreed. For once, Seifer didn't sense the hatred the Ice Queen usually turned his way, and he couldn't help but wonder if he really looked that shitty.

Squall walked out onto the ice with even steps, watching as the new arrivals gathered at the edge of the ice, looking on in disbelief. Squall offered them a smile filled with death and reached down to extend the special spikes he'd built into this particular pair of boot for when he was fighting with Shiva like this; ice fields had no traction, which was just as much trouble for him as it was for his opponents, hence boots with retractable spikes in the tread.

"You're working with that tyrant, too, aren't you?!" one of the villagers shouted as Squall continued approaching.

Squall shrugged. "Normally I'd say this is nothing personal – just another job – but you killed one of my fellows and almost killed my best friend so..." His eyes narrowed and he swung Lion Heart against an ice formation that had once been a person, slicing the head clean off to roll towards the villagers. " _Now_ it's personal."

"Anyone who sides with Deling must die!" another villager shouted.

Yet another one called, "We're just protecting our families and way of living! Not that a mercenary would know what that means!"

Squall smiled humourlessly at that. _'No family? I have four quasi-parents, a sister, a biological father I've never met, nine friends, and one best friend who mean all the world to me. Being a mercenary is my way of life. You people almost **killed** one of my reasons for keeping on, and I'm going to fucking **rip you apart**.'_

Squall changed his grip so he could balance Lion Heart one-handed while his free hand drew forth one of his stock of Ultimas, which he then proceeded to slam into the villagers. That was followed quickly by a series of Blizzagas, serving the dual purpose of extending Shiva's ice field and killing a couple of the people standing in the way

Those who survived the Ultima and Blizzagas quickly fell to Lion Heart, run through without a moment's pause. The ice magic junctioned to his blade froze the blood before it could splatter everywhere, leaving Squall unmarked by the violence.

 _'I'm going into the village to finish this,'_ he thought toward Shiva as he stepped off the extended ice field.

 _"I will protect the Fire Child,"_ Shiva promised before turning her attention to the only other GF Squall had junctioned. _"Protect him in my stead, Diablos."_

 _"Like I would leave him to die,"_ Diablos shot back, slipping to the forefront of Squall's mind. _"Summon me."_

It was generally believed to be impossible for one person to summon multiple GFs, but the reality was that GFs simply didn't like each other and didn't share well to boot. They disliked having to share space in a human's mind, but they _hated_ fighting together, especially for the same human. Occasionally, two GFs summoned by partnered humans could put up with each other long enough to do their jobs, but it had to be the right GFs and humans.

Squall, however, was rather beloved by all GFs for his wealth of memories, enough of which he was willing to hand over. He also had experience with every GF in the world, thanks to the Ghost, including Eden, who required a firm hand and strong sense of self to wield effectively. Having mastered Eden, Squall had little trouble with other GFs, and his long-time status as Shiva's favourite kept her from getting jealous of other GFs, though they would occasionally get jealous of her, which he'd discovered when trying to find another GF to steal his over-abundance of dark memories.

Diablos didn't care if Squall was the favourite human of Shiva, he just liked violent memories. The two GFs had taken about a day to sort themselves out in the back of Squall's head when he'd first junctioned the gravity-using GF, and then they were perfectly okay with each other. Squall had been as shocked as anyone when Diablos and Shiva let him summon both of them at the same time, but he was actually used to it, now.

As soon as Diablos was solid, the GF flew up into the air and started collecting energy for his Dark Messenger attack directly over the village. Knowing better than to get in the way of the attack, Squall remained outside the village, taking out anyone daring enough to run at him with silent efficiency. As soon as the sphere of gravity hit the ground, Squall started into the village, finishing off the few people who had survived the attack.

Within twenty minutes, the village was a ghost town of twisted bodies and slowly melting puddles of blood. Squall took a moment to consider the destruction with cold eyes, then headed towards the dark alley where he'd seen Angela King's body, left to rot, and picked her up to take her back to Garden, where they could properly send her off. He put her in the sub, then went back for Seifer, dismissing Shiva with a nod of thanks as he helped his best friend up. "Come on, let's get you back to Doc Kadowaki."

Seifer grimaced and took careful steps on his broken leg, which Squall had used a snapped pitchfork to fashion a crude brace for. "She's going to be so mad."

"Yeah, well, stop getting badly wounded on missions."

"I'll get right on that."

Squall snorted and carefully manoeuvred them into the sub. Seifer was left stretched out on one of the couches, a Sleep spell helping his body recuperate naturally while Squall piloted them home.

In Balamb, he took a moment to ring up to Garden from Ma Dincht's place – she had already heard that Seifer might be badly hurt and was reassured to hear that he would be fine – and ask for Zell and Raijin to meet him in the garage. When he arrived at Garden, his grim-faced friends were waiting for him, relieved to find Seifer alive, but clearly upset at the sight of both his wounds and Angela's body.

"Rai, could you take Seifer to the infirmary?" Squall asked quietly. "He's just under a Sleep spell right now, but his leg's broken, so take care."

"You got it," Raijin agreed and carefully picked their sleeping friend up.

"You want me to take Angela to the morgue?" Zell asked as his roommate made for the main hub.

"Please. I need to report to Cid."

Zell touched his shoulder and offered a pained smile. "I got it."

Squall nodded his thanks, then hitched his bag over his shoulder – he hadn't seen Seifer or Angela's things, but they had hardly been a priority and there would have been nothing indispensable in them anyway – then made his way up to Cid's office. Julia, the secretary, waved him in as soon as he stepped out of the lift, so he shoved his way into Cid's office.

Cid was out of his seat in a flash, though he remained behind the desk. "Is Seifer okay?" he asked, worry lines ageing his face far beyond his forty-seven years.

"Rai's taking him to the infirmary," Squall replied quietly as he took up a stance on the other side of the desk.

Cid fell back into his chair, relieved. "Thank Hyne. Is the rebellion under control?"

"The rebellion is dead," Squall reported in a cold tone.

Cid shot him a faintly worried look, but the dark gleam in Squall's eyes told him he wasn't about to get any apologies for destroying an entire village. He'd almost expected something like it when he'd sent Squall as backup, knowing how close the two boys were. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "I see. Anything else?"

Squall considered that for a moment, then nodded his head. "Yes. I'm requesting you make myself and Seifer permanent partners."

Cid frowned. "You know SeeD doesn't do that," he reminded the teen. "We prefer to have operatives free from partnerships–"

"In case something comes up where you only need one of the pair's abilities and the other one would only be a liability," Squall interrupted. "Yes, I'm aware of that. But Seifer and I specialized in the exact same things and, though our styles are a little different, we work better as a team than we do apart. _Every single_ mission he's gone on without me has turned into a clusterfuck, though he always gets the job done, one way or another, and my best missions have been with him, too."

"I can't afford to have my two best SeeDs tied up together all the time–"

"If I hadn't arrived right when I had and had the exact amount of control over Shiva as I do, we'd have two corpses on our hands right now," Squall snapped, eyes flashing with anger. "You can't afford to continue separating us."

Cid pressed his lips together and took in the furious emotions radiating off of his best SeeD. Squall and Seifer were best friends, had practically been together from day one; it made sense that a near-death experience would bring one of them raging to him about keeping them together – it had been an ongoing argument over the years – but Squall was usually the more sensible of the two and would talk Seifer down. "Your emotions are clouding your better judgement," he pointed out in a carefully gentle tone.

Squall shot him a disturbing parody of a smile and said, "Yes, in fact, they are. Are you sure you want to push me right now? Because I am _so_ not capable of rational thought, and we wouldn't want me doing anything stupid because I'm simply incapable of thinking it through. Like killing you because you're ticking me off. Or resigning and stealing Seifer away to live in Esthar with my biological father."

Cid paled a bit at that, because the darkness in the teen's eyes said he might very well be willing to do either of those things. "You've made your point," he managed, clearing his throat. "You and Seifer can be official partners; all future missions together."

The darkness in Squall's eyes faded a bit and his posture, which had turned just the slightest bit hostile while Cid hadn't been paying attention, relaxed. "Good. Now that's sorted, I'm going to go sit next to my _partner's_ infirmary bed and calm down." He turned and stalked from the room.

Cid had the sinking feeling that he wouldn't be able to undo the partnership in the future, not now that he'd agreed to it.

-0-

Seifer woke slowly to the familiar smells of the infirmary. He had a brief moment of drowsy contentment, only vaguely curious as to what stupid thing had happened on his most recent mission to end him up in Kadowaki's domain, then the memories struck him: weaving between buildings with Angela a few steps behind him; her choked scream as a pitchfork hit her from behind, striking straight through her heart; managing to get a priority message for backup out before having to run, run, run; lying in the dirt and waiting for death; Squall coming over the rise, all cold fury and violent death...

His eyes snapped open and he stared up at the ceiling for only the briefest of moments before Squall's voice said, "Good evening."

Seifer turned his head to the side and felt his racing heart calm at the sight of his best friend, sitting there with a half-eaten dinner tray on the small table next to the visitor chair. Judging by the black emergency bag, Lion Heart, and Hyperion resting against the wall next to the chair, Squall hadn't returned to his room yet, and Seifer was torn between being grateful that Squall had stayed with him and irritated that the younger SeeD had decided to waste time at Seifer's bedside instead of resting before his next mission. The irritation won out simply because Seifer was too stressed by his recent mission to be grateful and he snapped, "Why are you here?"

Squall's expression blanked for a moment, then cleared, understanding bright in the blue-grey eyes. "I can't go on any missions if my partner is stuck in the infirmary," he stated quietly.

It was Seifer's turn to be surprised by the comment, but understanding didn't come to him and all he could manage was, "Huh?"

A wry smile touched Squall's lips for the briefest of moments before it vanished. "I'm not letting you go off on missions without me any more," he said, the smile remaining in his voice even though it was no longer on his face.

Seifer snorted, then winced as the action made a headache he hadn't even noticed flare. _'Right, head wound,'_ he thought before returning his attention to Squall. "And good luck getting Cid to sign off on that one." Hyne knew Seifer had tried enough times.

"I already did," was Squall's factual response.

Seifer blinked at him in disbelief. _'What? But... Cid would never...'_

"I told him that if he didn't make us official partners, I was resigning and taking you with me to live in Esthar with Laguna," Squall explained with a shrug.

Seifer stared at him for another moment before announcing, "You are so many kinds of awesome right now; I hope you know that."

Squall's lips curled with one of those rare, honest smiles that Seifer and all their friends had come to treasure. "I care about you too, Seifer. Now go back to sleep."

Seifer smiled to himself and closed his eyes to do just that. Then a memory of the date came to him and he murmured, "Hey, Squally?"

"Hm?"

"Happy belated birthday. Sorry I didn't get you anything."

Squall's hand came to rest on top of Seifer's and he chanced the pain from the healing cut on his upper arm to turn his hand over. Squall's slightly smaller hand rested in his and squeezed. "You survived until I got there," he said.

Seifer smiled again and he drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _almost_ got them together in this chapter, but then I had a brilliant thought while getting ready for bed. They'll probably get together next chapter. And I might get a bit more about the others in here, now that they're not stuck in Garden all the time. XD Or, well, Xu and Quisty aren't, and the others will be aiming to graduate in the coming spring, so... (Except Rai, who I sorta decided is a year younger than the others, so he's got another year.)


	9. Don't Want the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose I should warn that there's a bit of, erm, _cross-dressing_ in this chapter. Poor Squall. XD  
>  On the other hand, erm...  
> I finally got them together? Sorta.  
> XD
> 
> Oh, yeah. This is another kinda long chapter. Erm, it wouldn't stop.  
> I'm saying 'erm' a lot today, aren't I?

Seifer whistled a bit as they walked down the road to the Gustafson Manor.

"You're in an unusually good mood," Squall commented, hiking his bag a bit higher on his shoulder. Keeping Lion Heart inside tended to make it that much heavier, though walking around with his favoured weapon worn openly was just asking for an angry citizen to take a pot-shot. For the same reason, both he and Seifer had covered their scars again and wore clothing obviously not meant to be fought in, though they could have, if they needed to. "We just spent twenty hours on a train."

Seifer flashed him a grin. "I know. And now Chris is going to stuff me full of Jessie's best cooking."

Squall snorted, but he had to admit that he, too, was glad to be stopping in and visiting their adopted parents; Christal and Gregory had asked shortly after Squall's fifteenth birthday, five months ago, if they could formally adopt the two boys. Neither Squall nor Seifer had seen any reason to disagree, especially since they would be keeping their original last names – as much at their own request as for the safety of their new parents – and they had all agreed that fifteen was old enough to make their own decisions. The official change was just so the two SeeDs had somewhere they could call home and because the Gustafsons were getting older and they had no one to leave their wealth and home to upon their deaths.

The only thing that was a sticky subject – other than Christal's monthly attempts to get Squall and Seifer to resign from SeeD and find safer and less bloody professions – was what the two teens called their adopted parents. Having been orphans since before they could remember, neither boy was comfortable with using 'mom' or 'dad' to refer to anyone – hence the reason they'd only ever managed 'Mrs Dincht' when everyone else called her 'Ma Dincht' – not even their own adopted parents. It was something Squall had struggled with when thinking about Laguna or Raine, who he recognised as his biological parents, but he couldn't bring himself to even think of them with those terms.

Christal and Gregory had been a little upset to discover that the two boys weren't able to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad', but after a talk with Cid where he explained why Seifer and Squall couldn't, the Gustafsons backed off about the subject. They made do with the nicknames even Squall had finally started using and flushed with pride the one time Seifer referred to them in public as his parents.

"Well, well, if it isn't the prodigal sons, home from war at last," the guard at the front entrance of the manor called as the two teens came into range.

"Oh, shove a sock in it, Reg," Seifer shot back with good humour.

"Good afternoon, Reginald," Squall said as the guard pulled the gate open for them.

Reginald grimaced. "Come on, Squall, you know I hate my full name."

"And that's why he always uses it," Seifer replied with a grin while Squall just shrugged. "Is lunch ready?"

"Should be by the time you drop your stuff off in your rooms," Reginald agreed. "Kick Ed if he tries to forget to bring me some, would you? He keeps doing that..."

Seifer chuckled. "Will do."

The front door opened for them before they could reach it and the butler, Wyndham, nodded politely at them. "Good afternoon, Young Masters."

"Hey, Wyn," Seifer replied, grinning at the unsmiling man. He wasn't even sure that Wyndham liked him, honestly, considering he was always unfailingly polite to everyone, but he made Seifer envision a much older Squall and that always amused him.

Wyndham just blinked at him.

"We're taking our things upstairs," Squall said in the same even tone Wyndham had greeted them in. "Please let Chris and Greg know we'll join them in the dining room directly."

"Of course, Young Master Squall," Wyndham agreed, shutting the door behind them and turning to go to the dining room while the boys started up the grand staircase.

Their bags were left in their rooms and the two made their way downstairs to the dining room, where lunch was just being served.

"Hello, boys," Gregory said as the two teens stepped into the room. Next to him, Christal hurried from her own seat to bestow hugs on Seifer and Squall.

"Hey, Chris, Greg," Seifer replied, hugging his adopted mother tightly before leaving Squall to her, which the younger boy endured with his usual mix of fondness and irritation.

The food was served and Seifer immediately tucked in, starved from their trip. Next to him, Squall pinned Edgar – called 'Ed' by everyone except Squall and Wyndham – with a sharp look and said, "Reginald asked us to remind you to bring him food."

Edgar hurriedly swallowed his mouthful. "Yeah, yeah."

"By any means necessary," Seifer added between bites.

Edgar slouched in his seat a bit, well aware that the two boys could kick his arse six ways to Sunday without breaking a sweat. "As soon as I finish my plate," he promised.

Christal smiled at the byplay, then asked, "So what brings you boys to town? Is the President having panic attacks about his newest advisor already?" She smiled a bit, though the joke really wasn't much of one, considering Deling's last two advisors had been mysteriously murdered in their homes within three months of taking office. Truthfully, Squall and Seifer hadn't had anything to do with either murder, having been down south dealing with the occasional rebellions while they happened, but both Christal and Gregory were aware that the two teens had killed people before in their line of work.

"Not yet," Squall replied while Seifer continued to demolish his plate. "We're not even here for Deling, for once." Which was unusual, as he was almost always the one calling SeeD to Deling City.

Seifer swallowed his last mouthful and smiled when one of the kitchen ladies picked up his plate to refill it. "One of the neighbours is certain her husband is either seeing someone on the side, or plotting with conspirators. Either way, she wants us to follow him around for a bit and see what he's up to, then report back."

"So does that mean you'll be around during the day?" Christal asked hopefully. Most of the other members of the higher class left their clandestine meetings for the evenings, after all.

"Unless something comes up, yeah," Seifer agreed. "Thanks, Jessie," he added as the young woman set his plate back down in front of him. She winked before returning to her station near the door of the kitchen.

"We should have lunch out, then!" Christal exclaimed. "Maybe go to the cinema? Or one of the museums down town..."

Squall and Seifer traded resigned looks while Gregory chuckled.

-0-

"I'm going with the prostitute theory," Seifer decided as their target, Lord Aaron Knightlinger, met up with a lovely young woman outside the Galbadia Hotel and walked in with her on his arm.

"There was nothing amorous about their greeting," Squall disagreed, rubbing carefully at the tip of his nose and resisting the urge to finger his scar, since that would disturb the make-up. "It's possible it's just a front."

"Maybe," Seifer conceded before pushing away from the wall of the building they'd been leaning against across the street from the hotel. "We'll have to come back tomorrow with bugs for any hotel rooms and actually dressed for the hotel club."

Squall nodded and moved away from the wall himself. "Let's go by the library; I'd rather check the hotel system from a public terminal than the one at the house." Hacking systems from Garden was one thing, but leaving a trail to the Gustafsons' manor was just asking to get their adopted parents in trouble. With any luck, Knightlinger always requested the same room, but if he just went with whatever was open, Squall could probably fix the system to point him towards a specific room; either way, he'd rather have a room to bug than go in blind.

At the public library, Seifer wandered through the stacks and grabbed a few books to check out that looked interesting while Squall hacked straight through the blocks on the library system and into the hotel system. He ran into a small snag when Knightlinger cleverly didn't use his own name to reserve a room, but the hotel security cameras, as crappy and outdated as they were, showed him and his lady friend going into a room signed out to a Miss Rose Hoyt. Miss Hoyt often requested that same room, and all those requests coincided with the dates given to the two SeeDs when Knightlinger hadn't been home until the early morning.

Squall slipped back out and wiped the browser memory, then got up and joined Seifer in the history section. "Why are you reading up on military history?" he wondered, picking up one of the three books in Seifer's pile and reading the description on the inside flap.

"It was that or the spy novels."

"Spy novels are more interesting." Squall put the book back on the pile. "These just look boring."

"Good, it'll help me sleep." Seifer put back the book he'd been looking at and picked up his stack. "Are we good to go?"

"Mm-hm."

Seifer checked out his books using his SeeD card – which would hide his name from their system, but allow them a direct line to deduct any fines from his account if the books ended up overdue – then they left the building and started the trek back to the manor.

"Her name is Rose Hoyt," Squall commented.

Seifer nodded. "I'll stay up and ring Garden tonight to request anything we've got on her."

"Is that your way of saying I shouldn't drag you out of bed at first light?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Squall rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything else, someone running out of an alley slammed right into him and they both went down.

Seifer leaned down and pulled the young woman off Squall, giving her a narrow-eyed look while Squall got to his feet. "There a reason you're knocking into people without looking?" he demanded even as he took in the rips in her clothing and the trail of blood at the side of her throat.

"They're gonna kill me!" she gasped, panicked eyes looking back towards where she'd come from. "Please! You have to help me! Call the police! _Something_!"

A couple of men wearing nasty smiles appeared at the mouth of the alley, one of them flicking a switch-blade opened and closed. "You'll have to excuse my sister, boys. She's not well," the one with the switch-blade said in a smooth voice.

Seifer narrowed his eyes, tugging the frightened young woman behind himself. "I'd say you look like the reason she's not well. Maybe you should consider putting the knife away; it seems to be scaring her."

The man's nasty smile widened as another two men faded into view behind him and his friend. "Brave words from such a little kid. Why don't you just turn around and walk away?"

"So you can stab us in the back?" Squall asked quietly, his grey-blue eyes freezing over with disgust. Given, SeeD morals were questionable at the best of times, but there were some things that even they would never do, and terrorising young women in short skirts was on that list.

The man held his hands out in a motion of peace. "Do I look like the sort of guy who would do something like that?"

The two SeeDs snorted, then tensed when they sensed two more men appearing out of the night's shadows at their backs. They smoothly closed ranks, keeping the terrified young woman between them.

"Well, now you lost that chance, I'm afraid," the man said. "I want Violet alive, for now, but kill the kids."

"So your name's Violet?" Seifer asked in a light tone as he drew a couple of hidden knives.

"Y-Yes," the young woman stammered.

"Nice to meet you!" he said before bringing a foot up and snapping it up and under the chin of one of his opponents, causing the man's head to snap back painfully. Another man got a knife between the eyes with enough force to crack through the bone.

On Violet's other side, Squall was calmly taking out his own three opponents, slashing one's throat while stabbing another in the middle and violently ripping the knife through his stomach, sidestepping the spraying blood with the moves of long practise. The last one looked like he was thinking about running, but an ice spell at his feet caused him to lose his balance, giving Squall time to walk up to him and snap his neck.

The leader had fled as soon as he realised his men were losing, which left the two SeeDs and Violet surrounded by five dead bodies in the dark night.

Seifer sighed as he pulled his knife from the one man's head. "I think I remember promising Chris we weren't here to kill anyone this time," he commented to his best friend.

"Your books are going to get blood on them," Squall replied, nodding to where Seifer's three library books had fallen when he'd drawn his knives.

"Oops." Seifer shoved his knives away and stooped to rescue the books from a growing puddle of blood. Then he looked up at the young woman who was still standing there, frozen, and staring at one of the dead bodies like she wasn't sure how to feel. "Hey, Violet, you okay?"

Violet's gaze jerked up to meet the concerned green eyes. "What _are_ you?" she whispered.

"SeeD," Squall said drily. "And we should probably get out of here before someone comes. Unless you _want_ to get dragged to a station again." The last was directed at Seifer.

The blond rolled his eyes. "I maintain that _that_ was Brooks' fault, not mine," he replied, referring to fellow SeeD, Brooks Pippin.

"I don't care _whose_ fault it was," Squall shot back, gently taking Violet's elbow. "Come on."

Violet numbly let herself be led from the scene of violence. After a few steps, Seifer pulled off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, drawing on Ifrit's natural warmth to keep away the January chill. Violet pulled it tightly around herself, whispering, "Thanks."

Seifer shot her a smile. "Don't worry about it. You got anywhere we can take you to be with other people? A boyfriend's? Your parents' place?"

Violet shook her head. "No. I don't..." She bit her bottom lip. "I was sold to that man, Barry Semans. I don't have anywhere to go..."

Squall and Seifer traded sharp looks, wordlessly debating whether or not to take the girl back home with them. After a moment, they both nodded and Seifer said, "We'll take you home with us; our parents will welcome you, no problem."

Violet hugged the jacket tighter around herself. "I'm a prostitute, though–"

"And we're murderers," Squall interrupted bluntly, making the young woman flinch.

"Squall..." Seifer sighed. "Social skills."

Squall snorted, but gentled his tone to say, "We chose our profession, you didn't."

"But they're your _parents_ ," Violet insisted.

"Adopted, yeah," Seifer agreed with an easy smile.

Violet stared up at him in surprise. "A...dopted?"

"Yup! So, really, don't worry about it." Seifer glanced over her head at Squall. "Bus?"

Squall nodded. "Probably a good idea."

They made their way to one of the many bus stops and Squall paid for all three of them while Seifer staked out some seats in the back. There were a couple other patrons who shot odd looks at the group, but Squall's icy glare convinced them to turn their attention elsewhere for the duration of the trip. By the time they reached the high class area of the city, they were the only three people on the bus – most people in this area didn't travel by bus – and Violet had fallen into a doze against Seifer's shoulder.

They weren't quite at the closest stop to the Gustafson manor when Squall reached over and pulled the signal to let them off, ever cautious about implicating their adopted parents any more than they did by simply visiting them during missions.

Seifer gently shook Violet's shoulder. "Hey, wake up. We're getting off."

Violet's head jerked up and she stared around for a moment with fear in her eyes. But then she took in the bus and relaxed. "Huh? Oh. Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it." Seifer smiled and helped her up as the bus came to a stop.

They waited on the pavement, unmoving, until the bus had moved out of sight, then started in the direction of the manor. It was about a fifteen minute walk, and they'd been walking for about ten of those minutes when Violet realised, "I don't know your names."

"Huh." Seifer shrugged. "I'm Seifer, he's Squall."

Violet nodded and they remained quiet for the rest of the walk.

"Uh-oh, someone got a girl," Edgar commented jokingly from his guard post as the three stepped in through the gate.

Seifer smiled at the guard. "Ed, shut up before I give you a new breathing hole."

Edgar mimed zipping his mouth shut. "Greg is still up, but I think Lady Chris went to bed already," he offered, moving his lips as little as possible.

"Are you trying to say something, Ed?" Seifer asked sweetly as he reached for a knife.

Squall grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the shrinking guard. "He's not worth it," he said to his friend, motioning for Violet to follow them.

Violet hurried to move in step with them, eyeing the manor with some trepidation. "I could always get a hotel room..."

"Woman, stop worrying," Seifer ordered as he pushed the front door open. "Greg? You still up?"

Gregory stepped out of his study as Squall closed the door behind them. He took a quick moment to consider the three younger people in the foyer, then turned to Squall, who tended to be more concise in his explanations. "I was under the impression this was a quick surveillance check."

Seifer snorted as he gently removed his coat from Violet's shoulders and accepted Squall's own light jacket before moving to hang them both up.

Squall shrugged. "It was. We ran into some trouble on the way back. Violet was sold into prostitution and her _owner_ –" he spat the word, "–wasn't interested in letting her remain free when she got away."

Gregory nodded in understanding. "Seifer, perhaps a sandwich for our guest? Squall, have Laila make up one of the rooms and wake Chris; some of her older clothing should fit Miss Violet." Both boys shot off quick SeeD salutes, then moved off to follow his directions while Gregory motioned for Violet to follow him into the receiving room, which she did with wide eyes. "Have a seat, child," the master of the house directed as he took his own seat. "You look as though a strong wind might knock you over."

Violet practically fell into the love seat, still staring at the man with wide eyes.

"Good. I am Lord Gregory Gustafson and my wife is Lady Christal. While you remain our guest, you may refer to us as Greg and Chris."

"Oh, I _couldn't_ ," Violet breathed.

"I think I remember saying something similar the first time I met Chris," Seifer commented as he entered the room with a tea tray. He set it on the coffee table and pressed a plate with two sandwiches into Violet's hands. "Eat those or I'll be insulted. Tea, Greg?"

Gregory chuckled. "Please."

Christal came swooping in, then, with Squall following at an easy pace. "This must be Violet. Well, dear, welcome to our home. I'm Chris, and you've already met Greg and the boys. Finish your sandwiches, then we can find you something nicer to wear and into a bed, perhaps."

"Yes, ma'am," Violet replied, looking a little cowed.

Christal smiled, then turned and touched the side of Seifer's face. "You're a good boy. Both of you." Her gaze flickered to where Squall had stopped at Seifer's elbow.

Gregory nodded and stood with his tea. "Indeed they are. Chris, I'll leave Miss Violet to you. Boys, my study?"

"Good night, Chris, Violet," Seifer said as he handed a cup of tea over to Squall. He grabbed his own before they fell in behind their adopted father, leaving the two women to sort themselves out. In the study, the two teens settled into the chair in front of the desk while Gregory took his own seat.

"How many dead thugs won't be showing up in the papers tomorrow?" Gregory wondered.

"Only five," Seifer said pleasantly.

"So far," Squall added under his breath.

Gregory sighed. "So you intend to pursue this?"

"We killed five of this guy's men and took one of his girls," Squall said drily, "I don't think it matters whether we intend to pursue it or not; it will pursue us."

"I suppose so." Gregory shook his head. "I know you two are always careful, but take special care in dealing with these people; they don't respect or fear SeeD like the normal populace, and they won't fight by any rules."

"Neither do angry mobs," Seifer pointed out, "and we've dealt with plenty of those."

"Angry mobs don't usually carry guns," Gregory replied.

"Hm. Yes, that could be a problem..."

"We'll be careful," Squall promised. "Seifer's already ringing Garden tonight to check something with our current mission; he can ask about this group at the same time."

"Very well..."

-0-

Early the next morning, before anyone in the house was awake, Squall crept into town and bugged the hotel room for their mission. He took the household car and wore a wig that was dirty blond to keep anyone who might have been looking from recognising him from the night before.

When he got back to the house, Christal, Gregory, and Violet were all up and just sitting down to breakfast. "Good morning," he said to them as he took his usual seat.

Christal covered a smile. "Squall, your wig."

Squall blinked, then reached up and pulled off both the wig and the cap, which he set to one side. "Forgot I was wearing that..." he murmured, earning him laughter from the two women and a fond smile from Gregory.

Seifer didn't end up coming down for breakfast and Jessie was clearly worried, twisting her hands into knots. When Squall rose from the table, she asked, "Is Seifer sick?"

Squall blinked in surprise and glanced at a clock. "No, he's just lazy. I'll take some food up to him and kick him out of bed."

"I could take the food up..." Jessie murmured.

Squall pinned her with an icy gaze. "I need to talk to him anyway. A tray, Jessie."

The young woman huffed and stalked into the kitchen. Behind Squall, Christal tsked. "Squall, that was a little rude. She's just worried about Seifer."

"You mean she wants to bed Seifer," Squall retorted, scowling.

Violet giggled. "He _is_ rather cute."

Squall shot Violet an irritated look, which got both her and Christal laughing. As soon as Jessie reappeared with the tray, he took it and stalked from the room.

Seifer was just pulling on a shirt when Squall stalked into the room, scowling. "Wow, you are in a _mood_. What ticked you off this time?"

" _Women_ ," Squall snarled, setting the tray on the side table next to the bed.

"Uh-oh. Is Squally finally hitting puberty?"

"I will _gut_ you."

Seifer laughed and settled on the edge of his bed to eat. "Sit down. Are the bugs planted?"

Squall huffed and settled onto the far end of the bed, his wig set next to him. "Yes. Any luck with Hoyt and Semans?"

Seifer nodded and turned a bit so he could see Squall better. "Rose Hoyt is twenty-six and a Timber native who moved to Deling two years ago. She's definitely in the prostitute business, and she doesn't seem to be affiliated with any of the Timber resistance groups. Her parents, however, are the founding members of the Train's Tracks, one of the largest groups, and the only one active at this time."

"So it's possible Hoyt is passing information between Knightlinger and the Train's Tracks," Squall deduced.

"My thoughts exactly. We'll just have to keep watching him until we're sure, one way or another. I'm not sure how much information about troop movements or whatever a Lord can get–"

"He's close to General Caraway," Squall interrupted, shaking his head. "Caraway is in charge of the Timber area right now, so he would be able to gather information about whatever caught his fancy." He sighed. "It's probably why Rinoa decided to join the resistance."

Seifer snorted. "Ah, Rinoa. Is she still with daddy dearest right now?"

"For the moment," Squall agreed. "From what I know of her timeline, she should be heading to Timber shortly after her sixteenth birthday. So... next year sometime." He shook the thoughts of Rinoa away and asked, "Semans?"

Seifer's expression turned grim. "He's a fucking _ghost_ , practically. He appeared three years ago in Deling City and started up a prostitution ring, which appeared legit, at the time. The old city boss at the time took him to task for starting a business in his town with his consent, then wound up dead two days later. Since then, Semans has been the unofficial city boss and his prostitution ring has been getting shadier and shadier.

"As for his background, we've got nothing. He's not on any of the registries – fuck, the name _Semans_ isn't on any of them – so I can't tell you where he's from, what his folks are like, what sort of training he's had... Nothing." Seifer stabbed a breakfast sausage and took an irritated bite out of it.

Squall leaned forward and traced a finger over his scar, not caring if the make-up came off, since they'd almost certainly be remaining in the house until he and Seifer went out that night. "Trabia's records have always been a little sketchy, especially in the remote areas, but if he came from up there, he would have been more likely to set up in Dollet. FH doesn't keep a registry, and we don't have access to Esthar's databases, so he could have come from either of those places. Given his violent leanings, I'm going to guess Esthar."

"Well, that's just fucking _great_." He stabbed another breakfast sausage.

Squall snorted. "That means he's had access to advanced technology and Odine's pet projects for most of his life. I don't know much about their underground community, but I know their people in general aren't any more special than your average civilian on this side of the Horizon Bridge. I say, treat him like he's a high-ranked SeeD with GFs and magic junctioned."

Seifer sighed. "So, basically treat him like we're facing ourselves? Sure, should be a hoot."

Squall rolled his eyes. "We should probably go after Semans during daylight, given his business's natural after dark inclinations."

"You're going to drag me out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn tomorrow, aren't you?"

Squall smirked in response.

Seifer sighed again and set his fork down on the tray, finished, before turning on the bed to completely face Squall. "So, how do you want to handle Knightlinger tonight? If we go out as ourselves, that's just asking for trouble, but we'll never get anything if the receiver isn't close enough to pick things up."

Squall shrugged. "We go disguised. Both wear wigs–" he held his up, "–suits, and take the car. We could give you a nice scar and claim you were in the army." His eyes danced with wicked humour at the thought.

Seifer's lips curled with an evil little smile. "That might not be enough, though. That's not really the sort of club a couple of guys go to together. Now, a guy and a _girl_ –"

"Fuck. No."

"Come on, Squally. You always look so fetching in that dre– Mumph!" Seifer pulled the wig out of his face and laughed to see Squall stalking from the room.

Because Squall had inherited so much of his mother's facial features and was naturally slender, he was one of the few male SeeDs capable of posing as a female without it looking particularly suspicious. The first time they'd talked him into a dress had been due to a bet the teen had lost against Selphie, and the little firecracker had demanded Squall pose in one of Quistis' few dresses – she would have used her own, but they were all too small. Seifer had proceeded to tease Squall horribly about it until Squall kicked his arse in a spar and threatened to take his head off if he didn't quit with the girl jokes. Wisely, Seifer had agreed to forget the event had even occurred.

About a month after that, Squall had been on a mission with Quistis that ended up requiring two women to gain access to the information they'd needed and Squall had, again, been forced into a dress. Except, that time, in the spirit of it being a mission, he hadn't run off in a huff after ten minutes and actually stuck it out for the full three hours the two were staked out. According to Quistis, he'd almost seemed to enjoy it, by the end, managing a rather good coy smile that had Quistis tripping over her feet.

After that success, Cid had suggested – it would have been an order if he thought that would have worked – Squall look into procuring his own female disguise for any future emergencies. Squall had waffled about it for a good month before Seifer had finally teamed up with Fujin and Selphie and dragged the boy out to get a couple dresses, some A-cup bras, a pair of flats – it would have been heels, but Squall had helpfully pointed out that heels would just get in the way, though he supposed they could act as a quasi dagger in a pinch – a slew of make-up, and a rather lovely wig that was almost the same shade as Squall's natural hair. Seifer had only seen Squall in the dresses while he'd been trying them on and, so far as he knew, Squall had never had to go to such drastic measures a second time.

 _'If he really does it, I am **so** taking pictures,'_ Seifer decided as he got up to return his tray to the kitchen.

-0-

"Seifer, get in here," Squall called as Seifer walked past the younger teen's cracked door to start getting his own disguise ready. Squall had vanished a good forty minutes before with no real explanation, but Seifer had just guessed he was being his usual pernickety self.

Seifer pushed the door open, only to stop and stare upon finding Squall struggling with the back of the silky grey evening gown he'd bought all those months ago. "Holy Hyne, you're actually doing it."

"Help me with this fucking dress or I'm ripping it to shreds," Squall snapped, shooting a glare over his shoulder.

Seifer hurried over and took over the zip, which had caught on the back of the bra. Once that was done, he stepped back to watch Squall pull on the wig. "You're unarmed?" he realised, not seeing any sign of weapons on his friend.

Squall tapped his thigh and Seifer could see the faint outline of a knife sheath. "The handbag has a pistol in it, and my necklace is sharp enough to be used as a knife." He waved towards where an elegant silver stick on a chain sat next to the handbag that matched the dress. "And there's always the hair sticks, I suppose..." So saying, he reached back and twirled the long hair behind his head to make a bun, then reached for a couple wooden sticks with silver and blue flowers dangling from the ends, which he stuck in the bun to make it stay. "Go get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am!" Seifer replied, then ran for it. He made it around the doorway just ahead of the knife Squall had thrown after him, which stuck fast in the wall across the hall from the half-open door.

Chuckling to himself, Seifer slipped into his own room. It didn't take him long to slip into his suit and hide his own assortment of knives and a small handgun on his person. The dark, one-wash dye for his hair and the make-up over his scar took him a little longer, and by the time he finished and stepped back out into the hall, Squall was pulling the knife out of the wall and returning it to his leg sheath, make-up and jewellery in place.

Seifer considered his options for a moment – specifically, the likelihood of him getting stabbed for complimenting his best friend – then decided it was worth the risk and said, "You look, erm... nice?"

Squall shot him a look, painted lips pressed into a thin line for a moment before his expression smoothed out and he stepped over to take Seifer's arm. "I'm going to take that as an actual compliment, rather than further teasing."

Seifer let out a breath. "Good. I really wasn't looking forward to ruining a tux."

"Any further jokes about my outfit will make the tux the least of your worries," Squall promised him. "Now, let's get out of here before Chris or Greg sees me."

Seifer chuckled and clasped a hand around the one on his arm. "Oh, no, we are getting a _picture_ of this."

"We are _not_!" Squall hissed back, tugging on his arm to free it from Seifer, but the older teen had expected that and held on all the tighter. "Seifer, let me _go_."

Seifer grasped for an idea to get Squall to agree to the photo and settled on, "You know at least one of them is going to catch us when we get back – they always do – and they'll want the photo then, after we've been out for hours and are thoroughly sick of each other and these costumes."

Squall sighed, conceding to the point. "Fine. But you're going in first and explaining things to them."

"Yeah, okay," Seifer agreed and they made their way down the staircase, Squall remaining on Seifer's arm mostly so he could get used to it. At the bottom of the stairs, Seifer let go and made his way into the small sitting room just past the receiving room, where Christal and Violet were watching some comedy or another on the television while Gregory read the evening paper. "Hey, we're about to head out," Seifer announced.

They all glanced up and Christal smiled. "You look so handsome, Seifer. Where's Squall?" Next to the woman, Violet was staring at Seifer like she'd never seen a man in a tux before, though Seifer supposed it could have been the almost-black hair that was earning the look. Or surprise that a violent SeeD could actually pull off fine dress?

Seifer grimaced. "Well, see, for our cover, Squall sort of agreed to dress up as my date. So he's wearing a dress." They all stared at him for a moment in disbelief, but then Gregory's lips twitched and Seifer hurried to add, "He gets _really_ violent if you laugh, Greg. Please, for the love of Hyne, _don't_ upset him."

"Yes, _don't_ ," Squall added in a silky voice as he stepped into the room and came to a stop at Seifer's elbow.

"Squall, you look absolutely _lovely_!" Christal exclaimed, quickly getting out of her seat. "Where's my camera?"

"Told you she'd want a photo," Seifer muttered.

Squall just sighed and shook his head.

Gregory set his paper aside and helpfully told Christal, "Check my study, Chris."

Christal flashed her husband a smile and hurried past the two teens in the doorway, saying, "I won't be but a minute. Don't move."

Gregory chuckled and leaned back in his chair, considering his two adopted sons with a faint smile. "Your mother must have been beautiful, Squall."

Squall flushed under his make-up and thought he might understand why women wore so much. "She was," he murmured, looking away. He'd mentioned, in a letter to Christal and Gregory years ago, that he looked very much like his mother, according to the people of his birth village, but he honestly hadn't expected Gregory to remember that. Given, both Gregory and Christal had already been overly fond of the two youngest SeeDs, even then, so he supposed it made sense that they would have taken care to remember every tiny detail Seifer and Squall provided them.

Christal hurried back in, camera in hand. "There we are. Okay, boys, closer together."

Squall placed his hand back on Seifer's arm and stepped just that littlest bit closer, and Seifer placed his free hand on top of Squall's, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Christal smiled at them. "Wonderful. Now, smile... you too, Squall."

Squall let out an irritated sound, which made Seifer and Gregory chuckle, but relaxed his face into a smile. When Seifer squeezed his hand gently in a silent show of support, the smile came much more naturally.

Christal took quite a few shots before she lowered the camera and beamed at them. "Okay, go have fun."

"Work is not 'fun', Chris," Squall informed her matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you know what I mean." Christal waved them off.

Seifer chuckled as they both turned to leave. Just before they could fully exit the room, Violet – who had watched everything in silence with an odd, almost jealous expression on her face – said, "You two look really good together."

Seifer shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Thanks, Violet."

They managed to get out of the house and into the car without further distractions. Seifer took the driver's seat while Squall took the passenger seat, since it was rather unusual to see a female driving in Deling – though not impossible – especially an upper class female, like Squall was dressed as.

Edgar hit the controls for the car gate, then came over to poke his head through the window while it slowly opened. "Evening, Seifer, Miss." He cocked his head to one side. "Where's Squall?"

Seifer snorted, but it was Squall who said, "I'm right here, you blind idiot."

Edgar turned wide eyes on Squall. "Holy fuck, it _is_ you! Why are you dressed like a chick? Some sort of kink–"

Squall casually pulled the pistol from his purse and cocked it between Edgar's eyes. "Continue," he practically purred.

Edgar's mouth snapped shut and he quickly back-pedalled away from the car.

Seifer burst out laughing while his friend slipped the gun away. "I think you're actually _more_ frightening as a woman, Squally."

Squall smirked faintly. "I suppose I had to get _something_ out of this ridiculous costume. And call me Raine."

Seifer nodded in understanding and slipped out the gate once it finished opening all the way. "Does that mean I'm Laguna?"

Squall sighed. "Yes, might as well." He glanced back towards the house with a faint frown. "The gate wasn't that slow this morning."

Seifer glanced up through the windscreen. "Maybe the cloud cover is worse?"

Squall shook his head. "That shouldn't affect the gate. It's a remote-controlled system run on ra...dio... Oh."

"Oh?" Seifer chanced a glance at the younger teen. "You have to give me more than 'oh', Squ– Raine."

"I told you that long-range radio communication is impossible because of Adel's Tomb, right?"

"...Oh."

Squall nodded and turned to look out the window at the passing city. "It doesn't happen often, but my guess is that the Tomb happens to be on the near side of the moon right now, and the moon is directly over the city. Not that we can see it, with the cloud cover."

"Is that going to be a problem with the bugs?" Seifer asked, frowning.

"Possibly," Squall agreed. "The radio signals for the gate are relatively weak, and Galbadia Garden boosted the output on the bugs for days that the interference is particularly bad, but there's no guarantee that we'll be able to catch the signal in the club, since Knightlinger and Hoyt's room is the top of the hotel, on the opposite side from the club. We might be better off just getting a room near them."

"So our fun night out on the town is completely skipping the 'fun' and going to the 'fucking in the hotel room'?"

"Don't be crude."

Seifer chuckled. "Do you want me to get us a room as soon as we get there, then? Or try the club, first?"

Squall considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "We'll go for the room, first; I'd rather not chance missing anything important."

"Sounds good."

-0-

"Okay, he's got a pretty sweet deal, there: Sex with a pretty woman _and_ a contact to pass information on to," Seifer said as Knightlinger finally left.

"Whatever." Squall stood from the bed where he'd been perched and took a moment to stretch. He'd been off and on dozing for the past hour, being more of a morning person. Seifer had faithfully transcribed all of the actual talking that had come through the bugs, knowing the younger teen would want to read it when he felt more awake.

Seifer took a moment to stretch himself, having been sitting in the same chair for almost three hours, then stood and started gathering the receiver and his notes. "Do we need to do this again tomorrow?"

"No." Squall headed for the bathroom, pulling the sticks out of his mussed wig so he could fix it. "Caraway's got a party planned for tomorrow night that he'll be going to, and the night after that is dinner and a film with his wife." He stepped back out of the bathroom, hair once again immaculate. "You heard more than I did; do we need to return for another night?"

Seifer considered that for a moment before shrugging. "I'd kind of like to know what he's getting out of this, other than the sex. Betraying your wife from an arranged marriage is one thing, betraying your country is something completely different, especially when the price is so high."

"We may not be able to find out why he's doing this," Squall pointed out. "He may be getting no more than grim satisfaction."

Seifer shrugged again. "There's always a chance, and Cid would hardly begrudge us an extra week with our parents; that's the only reason I can see for him sending us on a rookie mission."

Squall snorted. "If he needs us back, he can ring the house; yes, we can keep on this for another week."

Seifer smiled at him, then motioned to the door. Squall took a moment to check that he had everything, then nodded and they stepped out.

The trip out of the hotel was fine, but a couple of young men were hanging around the car park, looking for trouble, and they zeroed right in on Seifer and Squall.

"Lookin' fine tonight," one of them said, eyeing Squall like something particularly tasty on a buffet line.

"I know, why don't you dump this loser and come have a good time with us?" the other one added, licking his chops.

"What is it about us that brings suicidal idiots flocking?" Seifer wondered tiredly.

"They're suicidal, clearly," Squall replied in the same light voice he'd been using all night to disguise his gender, before shooting the two punks a cold look. "Fuck off, boys."

"Now, now, that's not the way a pretty lady should be talkin'," the first one replied with an easy smile as he stepped within reach and touched a hand to the side of Squall's face.

"I don't know if you're deaf or just really _fucking_ stupid," Seifer hissed as he clicked off the safety of his gun and pressed it against the side of the punk's head, "but when a lady says to fuck off, you _fuck off_."

The other punk, who had stayed back, let out a laugh as the safety of another gun clicked off and he pointed it at Seifer. "No one wants this to turn ugly, so why don't you put the gun down?"

Squall had used Seifer's distraction to pull his own gun from his purse and he stepped forward to press it against the crotch of the guy in front of him. "Tell your friend to lower his gun, or I make you a eunuch," he murmured with a dangerous smile.

The punk's eyes widened and he raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "Ted, man, lower the gun; this chick's way too serious for us."

The other guy lowered his gun and Seifer backed off, lowering his own gun. Squall nodded and moved his pistol from the guy's crotch. "Go."

The two punks ran for it, clearly not willing to chance any further rich people that night. Squall and Seifer both slipped their guns back away once they were out of sight.

Voices sounded from deeper inside the car park, heading for the entrance and the two SeeDs. They both took a moment to look each other over, ensuring everything looked innocent.

"Sq–Raine, your make-up," Seifer realised. When Squall sent him a confused look, he clarified, "Your scar."

"Fuck." Squall reached for the bag he usually kept a small, travel-size thing of the make-up in, only to remember he'd left it attached to his trousers back in his room, having forgotten to transfer it. "Fuck. Do you have yours–?"

Seifer shook his head. "Didn't think I'd need it."

The group coming from inside the car park was just coming into view, and the area was too well-lit for them to miss the scar. Of course, it was always possible that they wouldn't think anything of it, especially on a woman, but it wasn't a chance Squall was willing to take.

So he turned and used Seifer's jacket to pull the slightly taller teen down for a kiss.

Seifer was momentarily stunned, but then he was sliding his arms around Squall's waist, pulling the younger teen just that littlest bit closer and trapping Squall's hands between them. He tilted his head slightly, getting their noses out of the way, and pressed back with equal force.

Squall had a memory of one, slightly awkward, kiss between the Ghost and Rinoa, and he honestly hadn't thought much of kissing, after that memory. But now, with Seifer, it didn't feel awkward or forced. There wasn't even any real confusion, just the sense that _this_ was where they'd been going for all those years at each others' sides, training and going on missions together. Always thinking, first, of how the other one was doing during downtime when they were apart.

Seifer finally managed to pull back, one of his hands leaving Squall's waist to cup his cheek. "Well," he croaked and cleared his throat. "That was...unexpected..."

Squall freed one of his hands and covered Seifer's hand on his cheek. "But not entirely unpleasant," he replied carefully, his own voice unexpectedly rough.

"Rather the opposite, I think," Seifer agreed.

Squall took a deep breath and took a few steps back. The hand on his waist dropped away, but the hand on his face remained, as did his own covering it. "We should head back; early morning tomorrow."

"Yeah," Seifer agreed, but neither of them moved.

A loud laugh outside, from the street, jerked them back to reality and they finally dropped their hands from where they'd been pressed together over Squall's cheek. Seifer moved to Squall's side and he slipped his hand back onto Seifer's arm before they started to the car.

The trip back to the manor was silent, both of them wondering where this was going, but neither willing to be the first to ask. They remained silent on the way through the car gate – opened by Trigg, the night guard – and into the house, which was darkened with the late hour, everyone else asleep.

Outside Squall's room, before the younger teen could do more than open it a crack, Seifer said, "Squall?" and Squall glanced back at him questioningly. Seifer took one step forward, closing the distance between them, and cupped Squall's cheek again. "I'm going to kiss you," he murmured, then leaned in to do so.

Squall's hands moved, almost of their own volition, to rake through Seifer's darkened hair. Seifer let out a strange sound – half-growl, half-moan – and pulled back for a moment before pressing his lips back against Squall's with far more force.

This time, it was Squall who brought an end to the kiss, pulling back and putting a finger against Seifer's lips before the other boy could start again. "I'm waking you up at six," he warned.

Seifer groaned. "Hyne damn it all."

Squall offered him a small, honest smile. "Good night, Seifer."

Seifer's hand, which had remained on Squall's cheek, caressed the side of his face once, then dropped away. "Good night, Squally," he replied, turning to move on to his own room.

Behind him, Squall touched his cheek, which seemed to almost burn from Seifer's touch, then shook his head and slipped into his room to get out of his dress and make-up. _'Maybe dressing up as a girl isn't **so** bad,'_ he thought. _'If we hadn't been acting as lovers, I never would have thought to kiss him. And **then** where would we be?'_


	10. Dance With the Enemy

"Get up," Squall ordered as he stepped into Seifer's room. He'd already been up for half an hour, taking a shower and getting dressed. And trying _not_ to think about their kisses last night, though he knew it was something they would have to figure out.

From the bed, Seifer let out a whine of protest and pulled the covers over his head.

Squall stopped at the edge of the bed and stared down at the lump of covers. "Don't make me resort to drastic measures, Seifer." Which meant chilling his hand with Shiva's magic and going for the back of Seifer's neck. It was both amusing and effective.

Seifer scuttled out of the other side of the bed and turned to shoot Squall a groggy glare. "I hate you," he mumbled.

Squall nodded. "I know. Go take a shower."

Seifer muttered unpleasant things under his breath, but moved into his en suite bathroom and closed the door behind him. Moments later, the shower started.

Squall rolled his eyes and turned to find clothing for his friend. Years as Garden roommates and training partners had taught Squall that Seifer was always a bother to wake any time before noon. The missions he'd been on with Seifer since those days, however, had taught him that Seifer was only difficult when an actual _bed_ was involved. So if they were camping out, on a train, or boat – anywhere that didn't have a mattress, really – Seifer got up without any fuss, often without Squall even having to rouse him.

Squall shook his head of thoughts about Seifer in the morning and took in the clothing options the blond had. Neither of them had yet to adopt the outfits he remembered from the Ghost's memories, but they hadn't been well known SeeD in that timeline, either, so they could get away with clothing that stood out in a crowd. As they were, they preferred to blend in, matching their outfits to their destinations or the mission they were on.

Going to the rougher side of town meant jeans and a shirt, so Squall pulled out one of Seifer's older pair of jeans and one of the shirts he rarely wore – he would be most upset if one of his favourite shirts got ripped during a knife fight. He also grabbed a green hoodie, since there was nothing wrong with them wearing an extra layer or two under their jackets, and he knew Seifer would appreciate it.

"So, do I get a good morning kiss?" Seifer wondered, opening the door of the bathroom.

Squall pulled out a pair of pants and tossed them in Seifer's face, followed quickly by the jeans. "Get dressed."

Seifer grinned at him, feeling more awake after the shower, and moved to change into the clothing Squall had pulled out for him. With everything but the hoodie on, he pulled out his stock of concealed knives and started strapping them on. "Are we stopping for breakfast at least?" he wondered as he finished hiding away the last of his knives and reached for his handgun, checking that the clip was full and the safety was on before he slipped it into the hidden holster built into the inner waistband of his jeans.

"Going out without eating something would be asking for death," Squall replied drily.

"Oh, I suppose." Seifer pulled the hoodie on and slipped his bag with extra clips, some potions and remedies, and his travel-size jar of make-up in the front pocket. A quick glance at Squall showed that, yes, the younger teen had applied the make-up to his scar – which made sense, even if they were fighting a bunch of thugs who would probably run at the sight of SeeD's best – and Seifer headed back to the bathroom, where his own jar was. "Do we have any idea where, exactly, Semans' base is?"

"No," Squall admitted, coming over to lean against the bathroom door frame, "but judging by the direction Violet was running and the questionable nature of that part of the city, it shouldn't be too hard to pinpoint. If she's awake, we can ask her to give us a better idea, but otherwise we can just poke around on our own."

Seifer nodded and closed the make-up jar. "Depending on your luck is my favourite pastime," he said teasingly.

Squall rolled his eyes and pushed away from the door frame. "Come on."

Seifer darted forward and caught Squall's arm, pulling him back and cupping the side of his face with his free hand once he could reach. "May I–?"

Squall pressed forward, whispering, "Shut up," before their lips met, his arms coming up to grab at Seifer's waist. Because Seifer's mouth was already open, having been in the process of speaking, Squall opened his own mouth a bit to compensate. Their teeth clacked once, then Seifer shifted and used the hand that had slipped behind Squall's head to guide the younger boy a bit.

Touching their tongues together was a bit weird, at first, and Squall almost pulled away, but Seifer's hand tightened in his hair and Squall stayed, getting used to having someone else invade his mouth far quicker than he'd expected.

Eventually, they had to pull apart to breathe and they gasped against each other, breaths mingling and foreheads almost touching. The hand in Squall's hair loosened and ran gently through the dark locks until they'd caught their breath. Then the hand came around and the thumb ran over Squall's bottom lip, wet with saliva.

"We need to get going," Squall breathed.

"I know," Seifer whispered back before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to Squall's mouth. Then he pulled back, Squall's hands falling from his waist. "Come on."

Squall nodded and turned to lead the way from the room. When Seifer caught up with him in the hallway, he commented, "We're going to have to talk about this."

Seifer sighed. "Yeah, I know. Tonight?"

"Sure."

Violet was not up yet, but Gregory was and he gave them a faint smile as the two teens slipped into their usual seats. "You're up early, Seifer."

"Someone threatened me out of bed," Seifer muttered, shooting Squall a dark look as Jessie brought them plates.

"What time did you two make it back last night?" Gregory asked, amused and a little concerned. It was bad enough that the two were constantly in danger, but the least they could do was get some proper sleep while they were home. (Though, knowing Squall, 'proper sleep' had nothing to do with sleeping in and _everything_ to do with going to bed early. While Seifer was the exact opposite, Gregory had never seen him even _try_ sleeping through one of Squall's wake up calls, though past experience when Seifer's other SeeD partners or Gregory himself had tried waking Seifer had taught him it was no mean feat; Gregory couldn't help but wonder what his youngest son threatened to get Seifer out of bed with so little fuss all the time.)

"Midnight?" Seifer guessed.

"Something like that," Squall agreed.

Gregory sighed and shook his head. "And what has you two up so early?" He recalled their jeans and the out of place bulges at the smalls of their backs, where they usually wore their handguns when armed. "Going into town to start a fight?"

"We're not actually going into the city to start anything," Squall offered in that too-calm voice that always made Gregory suspicious. "We're just doing some reconnaissance."

"With guns," Gregory added drily.

Both boys shrugged. "We're not _looking_ for a fight, but that's no reason to not be _prepared_ for one," Seifer insisted.

Gregory sighed again, but this was one battle he'd lost before he'd even met the two boys; they'd been trained to see enemies around every corner and to prepare for the absolute worst. On one hand, it kept them alive. On the other, it made them the two best SeeDs in the whole of Garden and they ended up on a lot of dangerous missions because of that.

The two teens were just getting up to leave when Christal entered the room, her expression falling to find them obviously dressed to go out. "You're not going to be gone all day, are you?" she asked.

"We'll be back for lunch," Seifer promised. "And we don't have anything to do tonight, so we can have an evening in, watching telly or something."

Her expression lightened considerably at that. "Well, that's something. Oh! Are you two going to be going by the film developer's?"

Squall and Seifer traded looks. The elderly gentleman Christal usually entrusted her film to was a little out of their way, but not so far that they couldn't make a side trip. Squall shrugged slightly and Seifer turned back to their adopted mother and said, "Sure. Is the roll still in the camera, or...?"

"It's on Greg's desk," Christal replied with a grateful smile. "Thank you, boys. I was going to ask one of the girls if they could do it on their way home tonight and pick it up tomorrow morning, but since you're going out anyway..."

"Don't worry about it, Chris," Squall said, shaking his head. "It's really not a problem. We'll see you for lunch."

"Okay! Have fun!" Christal called after them, shooting her husband a sharp look when he snorted.

-0-

They didn't end up having to hunt down Semans' base, as matters would have it, since his people found them first, fading out of the alleys before Squall and Seifer managed to get more than ten steps in over their territory line from the upper class part of the city.

"Hey, Blondie and Pretty Boy, you two got a call from the boss," one of them said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles.

"It's probably a good thing we were looking for him, then," Seifer replied with an easy smile as he mentally counted the men around them to be almost four times that of what they'd faced last time. _'I guess Semans really wants to see us. Fan-fucking-tastic.'_

The one who'd spoken looked momentarily upset that he'd miss out on beating them to a pulp for resisting, but he nodded to a couple of guys behind the two teens and they came up behind to grab their arms. "Just don't get no funny ideas, eh, boys?" the guy suggested before leading the way back into the alleyway he'd popped out of.

It was about a twenty-minute walk to the underground club-turned-base. They were held in what appeared to be a receiving room, with a large chair at one end and plenty of open space for people to gather in and provide entertainment, while someone went to go wake Semans – the two SeeD took a sort of grim pleasure in the fact that they'd come when the man was sleep and likely not at his best. While they waited, Squall scanned the room for anything that would help point them towards Semans' origins, but the man was either very careful about his public image, or he'd so completely turned his back on his home that he kept nothing that could be even remotely connected to it.

When Semans came in, he looked sleep mussed, but generally alert. He settled into his chair and offered the two teens a smile. "Good morning, boys. Quite rude of you to come outside of visiting hours, but I suppose we can make an exception just this once." He leaned forward, a hint of warning entering his dark eyes. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You have something of mine, and I want it back."

" 'It'?" Seifer hissed.

"Yes, _it_." Semans chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Don't go getting attached, boy. Violet is nothing more than a whore for sale; it makes them rather incapable of feeling genuine affection for anything outside the act of having more sex."

 _'There it is,'_ Squall thought triumphantly as Semans said the word 'genuine' and the faintest hint of an Estharian accent came through. Anyone who had never been to Esthar and heard the real thing would think it was just a slurring of the words, and even before Esthar had closed their borders, they hadn't spoken much to the other countries of the world, being in the middle of a war against everyone else. The only Estharian they'd regularly heard speak was Adel, and according to records, she was originally from Trabia, giving her more of a northern brogue. There was also Odine, who had spoken at a few conferences before Adel had locked him in his labs, but he'd always spoken with a bad attempt at an Old Centran accent, and most people tended to be too distracted by his self-indulgency to pay attention to his accent.

But Squall had heard the real, posh Estharian accent, actually _in Esthar_ , and he knew what it sounded like. And, judging by the way Seifer's eyes were glinting with murderous intent towards their 'host', it was probably a good time to distract them away from Violet. "I suppose Deling must be quite boring for you," he said with some abruptness, pleased by the way everyone turned their attention to him, having apparently forgotten he was in the room. Not that that was a disadvantage.

Semans considered the younger of the two teens with a faintly amused look. "Now what makes you say that?"

"Your accent." Squall let a hint of satisfaction light his eyes at the surprise that crossed Semans' face. "It's not all that noticeable, but I know an Estharian accent when I hear one, no matter how well camouflaged."

The four men holding Seifer and Squall tensed slightly and Seifer smirked. "Oh dear, did someone forget to mention to his followers that he's from the same country as the madwoman who waged war against their home for the better part of a decade?"

Semans narrowed his eyes. "Out, all of you."

"But, Boss," one of the men said, voice carrying the slightest hint of uncertainty, "they're almost certainly carrying weap–"

Semans' smile was sharp as glass and his Estharian accent strengthened with his temper. " _Out_."

The guards stepped away from the two teens and slipped from the room, as did the other four or five people who had gathered around the edges of the room.

"So you've caught me out," Semans said once the room had cleared, dropping all pretences and letting his accent come back full-force. "What, exactly, do you intend to accomplish by that? I'll kill a few idiots and my people will once again be loyal to me. Perhaps you intend to win Violet with some parlour tricks?" He laughed, the sound sharp as nails on a chalkboard. "Not this time, boys. Violet is worth rather a lot of gil. I suppose I could be willing to _sell_ it to you, but–"

"Don't mistake me," Squall interrupted, sensing Seifer's temper begin to rise again at Semans' insinuations, "I was simply verifying where you're from. Our records on you are unusually sparse, so we figured you were either from FH or Esthar."

"Oh, 'our records', is it?" Semans repeated, a hint of mocking in his tone. "Well then, aren't you rich little brats so very full of yourselves," he continued, the mocking tone sharpening with anger. "You two might be good in a fist-fight, but let's see how you do against something much more dangerous!" He held his left hand out and a ring on his middle finger glowed before a large train appeared in the room, heading straight for the two teens.

"Fuck!" Squall hissed as both he and Seifer rolled in separate directions out of the way of the train. "It's weak to Holy and strong to status ailments!" he called to his partner as he mentally switched his junctioned spells to add the Holy element to his weapons and changed his status junctions around to guard against the worst of Doomtrain's ailments. "Don't let the smog hit you!"

"Go after the brunet, Doomtrain!" Semans shouted when the GF had to choose between the two boys.

Squall pulled out his gun and managed to empty about half his clip into the oncoming train's face-grill before he had to roll out of the way to avoid getting run over, mouth and nose covered against the smog.

Just as Doomtrain managed to turn again so it was facing Squall, a fireball of a GF slammed into its side, knocking it off kilter. Ifrit roared at the train, dodging the cloud of gases that Doomtrain threw in response.

"Interesting GF," Seifer commented as he came to a stop next to Squall, who was summoning Shiva to join Ifrit; the two GFs didn't get on, as a general principle, but they'd always been more than willing to work together for the sake of their two chosen humans. "I take it you've met before?"

"Something like that," Squall agreed. "The smog inflicts pretty much every status affliction in existence."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Seifer muttered, slamming a Holy into the train when their GFs got out of the way to avoid more smog.

 _"Ice Child,"_ Diablos announced in Squall's mind, _"the prey is getting away. Summon me."_

Squall nodded, knowing Diablos was pretty much useless against Doomtrain, but neither Seifer nor himself could leave their support positions for Ifrit and Shiva. None of Seifer's other GFs would let themselves be called while Ifrit was out – never mind their lack of proper hands to hold a human – so that left Diablos. _'Go, but keep him alive for now,'_ he added as he summoned his other GF.

_"Understood."_

"Semans is trying to escape," Squall murmured to Seifer when the older teen chanced a curious glance towards the demon GF.

"Coward," Seifer muttered before slamming another Holy into Doomtrain's face-grill. Squall followed that with an entire clip from his gun.

One last Holy finished it and Doomtrain let out a wail before vanishing back to the GF non-space. With Ifrit and Shiva at their backs, Seifer and Squall approached Diablos and his struggling captive.

"Well," Seifer said with a smug little smile, "I'd say we're good in more than a fist-fight, wouldn't you, Squally?"

"Your first mistake, Semans," Squall commented in a neutral voice, "was assuming that, because we're young, we are inexperienced. Your second mistake was in not doing any research on us, although I suppose you can be forgiven, since we do try to keep out of the public eye. Your third mistake was in clearing the room of all your possible allies, leaving us with absolutely no distractions. I'd call you out for not divesting us of our weapons, but that wouldn't have stopped us for long, anyway, so..." He shrugged.

" 'Our records'," Seifer continued, still wearing that smug look that made people want to punch him, "are not some photo book of Galbadia's Most Wanted, but the entirety of Garden's database, containing information on pretty much everyone this side of Horizon Bridge."

"You're SeeDs," Semans realised, a dark light of fearful understanding flickering in his eyes. "So, who has put a price on my head? Or am I not allowed to know?"

Seifer snorted. "Reign in your ego, old man; no one's put a price on your head. _Yet_ ," he added as relief chased the fear from the city boss' eyes. "We just happened to be in town on another matter and you posed a threat to our cover. And, oh yeah, we don't like fuckers who sell the bodies of others against their wills."

Semans bared his teeth, straining against Diablos' hold. "Their families sold them to me. It was a proper deal!"

"There is nothing 'proper' about claiming ownership over the life of another," Squall said, voice icy. "The fact that you likely held a gun to the heads of those girls' families as they sold them over makes your 'deals' even more a load of shit." He let out a sigh, voice smoothing over with neutrality. "Unfortunately, we can't kill you–"

"What?! Why not?" Seifer snapped, turning to Squall with a sharp look. Behind them, Ifrit growled.

Squall sighed and had to check his urge to rub at his scar. "Unless you want to throw the Deling City underworld into a mess of insanity because they no longer have a city boss to keep them under control, we have to let him retain his position," Squall explained.

"That's exactly right," Semans agreed, smiling in a vaguely relieved manner at Squall. "You have an _excellent_ head–"

"I said we can't _kill_ you, but I have every intention of pulling your prostitution 'business' out from under your feet," Squall replied, ice returning to his voice.

Semans' laughed. "And how do you expect to do that, boy? You can't kill me, remember?"

Squall nodded, tone factual as he replied, "True, but I can weaken you enough that you're easy prey for anyone who doesn't like the idea of being led by an Estharian. The criminal underworld is quite like Garden, really; the strongest are only at the top for as long as they can beat off their opponents. One moment's weakness, and that's it, game over. Perhaps some minor turmoil, as everyone gets used to the new boss, but it'll be under the radar enough that it shouldn't affect our business."

Semans had paled and they could see the gears spinning in his head. "I can spare Violet–"

Seifer grabbed a fistful of Semans' nice shirt and snarled in his face. "Listen here, you _fucker_ , we're not here to free Violet – we've already _done that_ – we're here to free all the _other_ women you've got squirrelled away in little cells against their will."

"We have nothing against prostitution as a business," Squall added, ice in his voice, "Hyne knows our own job isn't socially acceptable... What we _do_ have something against, is owning and using other human beings against their will." That was what Ultimecia did, possessing Matron and Rinoa against their will to do her bidding, and Squall wouldn't sit back and watch _any_ human be used by another. "Keep your prostitutes, but give them real apartments, feed them real food, give them a cut of their earnings... Treat them like their own person."

"And for Hyne's sake, _stop_ referring to them as 'it'," Seifer added, letting go of Semans' shirt with a violent shove.

Semans shrank back against Diablos' chest, only to let out a noise of shock when the GF pressed dangerously sharp claws into his shoulders and growled, _"You can choose between your profit or your life. Choose quickly, lest you find yourself with neither."_

"I'll free the girls, all of them," Semans agreed quickly. "Those who don't want to stay on, I'll send back to their families."

Seifer smiled. "See, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Behind the teens, Ifrit and Shiva faded away, no longer needed. Diablos remained, though his grip on his captive loosened.

Before Semans could completely slip from Diablos' grip, Squall darted out a hand and tugged the ring from his finger. Ignoring his angry exclamation – and trusting Seifer and Diablos to keep the man from lunging to get it back – Squall closed his eyes and observed the ring with his mind. Doomtrain was still recuperating, but it had enough strength back to shoot the human holding its ring an angry hiss.

 _'Oh, stop that,'_ Squall said with some amusement. The Ghost had junctioned the testy GF for a little bit before they found out that Selphie had a surprisingly high compatibility, likely due to her love of trains. _'I have no interest in attacking someone who's already lost. I have a friend who I think you would get on well with, but if you prefer to stay with Semans, I'll return you.'_

Doomtrain considered that for a long moment before weakly replying, _"This friend...they would give me home? In their memories?"_

 _'He uses you without junctioning?'_ Squall whispered, disgusted. It seemed somehow very much like Semans' character to use a GF without giving something in return, but still... GFs grew with their humans by going through life with them, collecting strength from their memories. Refusing a GF access to your memories was akin to refusing them nourishment, never letting them get any stronger and potentially weakening them at the same time, depending on how often you summoned them. Not only was it cruel, it was also stupid.

Squall turned his attention to his own two GFs, asking, _'Will you be upset if I junction Doomtrain for a short duration? Semans has been mistreating it, and I don't want to burden Selphie with that.'_

 _"Doomtrain and I are kin,"_ Diablos replied. _"I will not refuse it, but I will not share you with it for long, either."_

 _"I agree with Diablos, Ice Child,"_ Shiva said. _"Junction the Poisoned One and we will soothe its wounds until you can pass it on to your friend."_

Squall nodded. _'I'm going to junction you until I'm back at Garden and you can meet Selphie,'_ he warned Doomtrain. _'Shiva and Diablos are willing to put up with you until then, at least.'_

Doomtrain shrank back from him for a moment, then crept forward. _"I will accept this,"_ it decided.

Squall smoothly junctioned the GF, then opened his eyes to find the ring in his hand had gone dull. In the back of his mind, Shiva was directing Doomtrain to the memories Squall didn't care about and generally bullying the train GF around in a kind manner that seemed more like mothering.

"What have you done to my ring?!" Semans roared. Diablos had regained his tight grip on the man's shoulders, keeping him from attacking his defenceless human while Seifer stood slightly between Semans and Squall, the tip of one of his hidden knives visible just beneath his sleeve and only a flex of his wrist from being drawn.

"You use GFs like you use prostitutes," Squall replied as he slipped the ring into a pocket. "We won't let you mistreat one, so what makes you think we'd let you mistreat the other? You're not getting Doomtrain back."

"It's _my_ GF!" Semans snapped, glaring at the teen with all the venom he could muster. "I found that ring fair and square!"

 _"That's true,"_ Doomtrain agreed, sounding stronger already, with access to human memories. _"My ring was rotting in the Estharian sewers."_

"I don't care if he has a legit claim to you," Squall said aloud for the benefit of the other two humans, "a human-Guardian Force bond is a symbiotic one: Humans share their memories and life experiences and GFs share their strengths and abilities. Refusing to junction you is as good as shoving you in a prison cell and refusing to feed you, yet pulling you out every so often to make you fight, only to toss you back in the cell."

 _"Listen to the Ice Child,"_ Shiva told Doomtrain. _"He is an authority on all things Guardian Force."_

 _'Flattery will not get you more memories, Shiva,'_ Squall told his favourite GF fondly. _'I'm hardly an authority on your kind.'_

"You're not getting Doomtrain back," Seifer informed Semans, voice hard. "Diablos, you can let him go, now."

 _"As you say, Fire Child,"_ Diablos agreed before fading away and appearing again in the back of Squall's mind to help Shiva keep an eye on their newest charge.

"We have some hours yet before lunch," Squall commented after glancing at his watch. "Why don't we see about freeing those girls?"

Semans shot another glare at Squall, only to be met with emotionless grey-blue eyes. He looked away and muttered, "This way," before leading the two teens from the room. He'd have to find some way to get back at them later, when they weren't basically holding guns to his head.

-0-

Seifer was still chuckling to himself at the film developer's casual remark regarding the appropriateness Squall's cross-dressing when they entered the house. Squall was shooting him occasional murderous looks and had confiscated the photos before Seifer could see them.

"Well, _someone's_ in a good mood," Christal said as she stepped out of the sitting room with a smile.

"Old man Rowe commented that Squally looked absolutely _stunning_ in a dress and it's 'really _such_ a shame he was born male'," Seifer offered with a grin.

"Don't let Charles' jokes bother you, sweetie," Christal told Squall, touching his cheek. "You're so _cold_! Take off those coats and join us for tea. And bring those pictures!" Then she was off to requisition more cups from the kitchen.

"I'm not cold," Squall muttered, pulling off his jacket and pulling out the photo envelope before shoving the jacket into Seifer's arms. "Put it up."

Seifer chuckled and pulled off his own coat to put it up with Squall's, then followed the brunet into the sitting room. Squall had taken the seat on one of the two love seats, with Violet on the other, and Seifer didn't even think about it before joining his friend and reaching for the photo envelope, which Squall held away. "Aw, come on, Squally. _You've_ already seen them."

"You can wait until Chris gets back," Squall informed him. He'd flipped through them while he'd been refusing to talk to Seifer as punishment for laughing, and it had been a little odd to see himself in the dress. Not a _bad_ 'odd', per se, just... He'd seen himself in a mirror before, while getting ready, but he'd never stepped back and looked, always been more interested in making certain everything was _perfect_.

But he didn't need to worry about that in the photo; instead, he'd been able to just look and consider what others saw. He _had_ looked good, _especially_ on Seifer's arm and smiling like he was truly happy about something. And knowing what had happened later that night and again that morning made him think that the him in the photo had every right to be as happy as he'd looked. And that seemed... odd.

Christal swept back into the room and dropped down next to Violet. "Oh, Greg's over at August's manor about one silly thing or another. He promised he'd be back for lunch, though," she said as she poured them both some tea and handed the cups over with just a spoonful of sugar for Seifer and black for Squall. Once the tea had been passed around, she motioned towards the photos in Squall's hand. "Let's see them, dear."

Squall very pointedly leaned around Seifer and handed them to their adopted mother, ignoring Seifer's wounded look. On Christal's other side, Violet giggled and leaned forward to look over the older woman's shoulder to see the photos. "Lots of pictures of animals, Lady Christal," she commented.

"It's a hobby of mine," Christal admitted, finally reaching the photos of the two boys. "Oh, these turned out quite well!"

Seifer leaned forward. "Squally wouldn't let me look at them," he said with a hint of pleading in his voice.

"You _laughed at me_ ," Squall hissed when Christal shot him a disapproving look.

"I laughed 'cause you let old man Rowe get to you," Seifer pointed out. "He teases us every time we go by to pick up photos Chris took of us. Probably because it always _works_."

Squall clenched his jaw, then signed in the SeeD sign language, 'I will gut you and strangle you with your lower intestines if this conversation continues.'

Seifer blanched, then held up his own hands to sign back, 'Okay, I'm sorry. Am I allowed to see the pictures now, or do I have to kiss you to make it better?'

Squall huffed and turned his head away.

Seifer rolled his eyes and held out a hand to Chris. "Please? I'm in those pictures too," he said, putting on a pitiful face.

Christal shook her head in amusement at the silent conversation, then handed a couple of the photos over. "Give one of those to Squall," she directed, "for your photo albums."

"Thanks, Chris," Seifer said as he turned the photo to get a good look at it. His breath caught at the sight of them standing together and smiling, recognising the smile on Squall's face as one of the rare few honest ones – the _only_ one captured by a camera, that Seifer knew of. Squall looked absolutely fantastic, and Seifer couldn't help but think, _'Why didn't I notice him sooner?'_

Ifrit and Quezacotl laughed at him while Tonberry chirped.

 _'Oh, shut up, the lot of you,'_ he shot at them before clearing his throat and saying, "We don't look half bad." He glanced up and found Squall watching him, a hint of worry in his eyes that faded away when Seifer offered him a smile. "Oh, here." He handed over one of the two photos, which Squall carefully slipped into the pocket of his hoodie, to be put away later.

"You really do look lovely together," Christal agreed absently, still looking down at her own copy. She looked up after a moment and smiled a bit hopefully. "Am I allowed to put this one up?"

The two teens traded uncertain looks for a moment. Christal liked to show off pictures of her two adopted sons, something they'd learned rather quickly after the adoption, as she set about appearing out of nowhere and snapping pictures, which she then spent hours over after they'd been developed, debating with herself about which ones she should put up around the house and in which rooms. She'd managed to talk them into posing in their SeeD uniforms, sans scar make-up, at one point and had wanted to put that one in the receiving room, but since most of the people they had over weren't aware that Squall and Seifer were SeeDs – and they intended to keep it that way – they very firmly told her no. That photo had ended up in Christal and Gregory's bedroom, never to be brought out. Other photos with their scars uncovered had met similar fates, though they wore their make-up around the house often enough that the receiving room, sitting room, dining room, and Gregory's study were plenty full of photos of one or both teens.

'Well?' Seifer signed, since just looking at each other wasn't getting them any closer to an answer. 'It's not showing our scars or any SeeD insignia, which are the only stipulations we made.'

Squall grimaced faintly. 'Well, no, but...' He paused, thinking of how to put what he wanted to say. 'We don't really look like our normal selves. I mean, your hair is dyed and I'm in a dress.'

'So that's a no?'

"Boys, I can't understand sign language," Christal reminded them with the faintest touch of irritation in her tone.

"Sorry, Chris," Seifer said aloud. "We were... debating about it."

"And?"

Before Seifer could say no, Squall hurried to suggest, "What if Seifer and I both put on our tuxes and you could take a picture of that to put out down here? And that one can stay in your room."

Seifer turned to him with a smile. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea."

Christal considered that for a moment, then sighed and said, "Oh, I _suppose_. But you both look so _lovely_ in this one..."

"But this way, you'll have a photo of us dressed up that you can share around, telling people, 'These are my sons', rather than having to explain why one of them is dressed like a girl," Seifer offered.

Christal nodded. "I know." Then her eyes lit up and she looked up at them. "I actually already have a photo of the two of you in tuxes."

"What? From when?" Squall demanded. Other than last night, they'd never dressed up so finely while in Deling City.

"The first time you stayed with us," Christal admitted. "Ruby was taking pictures at a couple of those parties and she got a shot of both of you with Greg and me, as well as a couple shots of just the two of you. She gave them to me shortly after you left and I forgot about them."

Squall and Seifer chorused, "We want copies."

Christal laughed. "I think that can be arranged."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the rookie mission that wouldn't end. XD


	11. Everything I Have In This World

 

"How did your trip to the city go?" Gregory asked as he joined them in the dining room for lunch. Squall and Seifer were still dressed in their street clothes, since they'd spent the time remaining until lunch looking at the old photos Christal had unearthed and debating which ones she could add to those already adorning the house. They'd all agreed that the photos in the suits could wait until that evening, when Gregory was home and the ambient lighting was better.

"Very well," Seifer replied with an easy smile. "Which reminds me... Chris, sorry we've had to stay in the past couple of days, but we can go out tomorrow, if you'd like. Violet too."

"What?" Violet breathed.

" 'Very well', indeed," Gregory murmured. The silent, 'Reconnaissance, my ass,' remained between the three males.

"We'll have to go see that new film!" Christal insisted. "And maybe a lunch out? And some proper clothing for you, Violet–"

"You don't have to do that..." Violet tried.

"Nonsense, dear." Christal shot her a smile. "Oh! And maybe a trip to the museum..."

"Chris," Squall interrupted, a note of fondness in his voice, "slow down. Unless something comes up, we're here until the end of next week."

Christal's entire face lit up, making her appear a good decade younger. "We'll have to do lunch and shopping tomorrow," she decided. "We can get copies of those photos for you boys, too. The next day we can go to the museum..."

Gregory, Squall, and Seifer just sort of sighed and sat back to let Christal plan out their next week. The household servants and Edgar all covered smiles or chuckled into their meal. Violet sort of just stared at the woman in surprise, because she was being so obviously included in these plans, as if it wasn't even a question.

Once lunch was over, Seifer offered, "Squall and I are going to go change, I think. You'll be in the sitting room?"

"We will," Christal agreed, taking Gregory's arm. "You haven't seen the photos yet!"

Violet followed the two boys up the stairs, asking, "You got him to let me go? You didn't pay for me, did you, because if that's–"

"There was no exchange of money involved," Seifer interrupted her. "We don't buy people, even to free them. We're just very... persuasive."

Squall snorted and shoved his bedroom door opened as he pulled his hoodie off.

Violet, standing behind the two teens, caught sight of Squall's gun and the faint bulge under the back of Seifer's own hoodie in the same spot and frowned. "So, what, you _threatened_ him? That's not much better than what he does to other people!"

Squall glanced back at her, eyes icy. "You were under the impression we went in there and chatted over tea? Were you or were you not there when we killed five men two nights ago in helping you?"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "No one died this time, and there were no guns held to any heads – I never even _drew_ my gun. You're your own person again, and so are all those other women Semans was keeping."

Violet blinked at that, all the disgust with their methods leaving her. "You freed...everyone?"

"What, you thought you were special?" Squall snapped.

Seifer sighed. "Social skills, Squally."

Squall huffed and slammed his room door behind him.

Seifer shook his head, amused by his best friend's usual irritability, and turned back to Violet. "We didn't go there with the sole purpose of getting Semans to leave you alone, Violet; we went there because neither Squall nor myself can sit back and watch people being used as slaves, bound by the whims of another. It wasn't just for you, but for every woman in that disgusting room. A couple of them are staying in the city, if you wanted to meet them outside of Semans' control, but most of them opted to return home." He paused for a moment to consider that while Violet stared at him with tears welling in her eyes. "Okay, I suppose _some_ money passed hands, but only because Semans wasn't willing to front money for train tickets, so Squall and I did that."

Violet launched herself forward and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Seifer awkwardly patted her head. Most females he knew didn't really do the whole 'throw yourself into the arms of the nearest man and sob in relief', so it wasn't really something he was used to. Not that Violet was _sobbing_ , per se, but there were almost certainly tears involved. "Uhm, you're welcome?"

Squall's door opened and Violet released Seifer to hug Squall, whispering, "Thank you," to him as well.

Seifer was only a little jealous when Squall seemed to know _exactly_ what to do, wrapping his arms around her and returning the hug. "Don't worry about it." He pulled back and offered her a tissue – where the hell he'd pulled it from, Seifer had _no_ clue. "Wipe your face so Chris doesn't think we did something terrible to you. Seifer, go change."

"You are _not_ human," Seifer insisted.

Squall rolled his eyes and quickly signed, 'Rinoa.'

Understanding dawned; Squall _would_ have learned to handle girls in case he had to deal with Rinoa, though they were both hoping it wouldn't come to that. " _Still_ not human," Seifer insisted before slipping into his room.

Squall rolled his eyes again, glancing at Violet as the young woman let out a quiet laugh. "You two are so close," she whispered. "I'm...sorry. If I've been making you jealous."

Squall's face went blank. _'Jealous? Why would I be jealous?'_ Shiva started laughing in the back of his head. _'Either explain the way a female's mind works, or shut up.'_ Shiva just laughed harder. "I don't understand," he said to Violet.

The woman blinked and sighed before taking a step back, recalling that she was still in Squall's personal space. "You care about him," she offered, wondering if she'd read them wrong. Not many boys were that close, not that she knew. And after all the things she'd heard about Garden and SeeD, about how competitive and cut-throat it was, it made no sense that they would be so close. Even if they _had_ been adopted by the same couple.

"He's my best friend," Squall replied, still confused. "We grew up together."

Seifer's room door opened. He took a good look at them, taking in Violet's earnest expression and the blank, confused look on Squall's face, then let out a heavy sigh. "Violet, please don't try talking emotions with Squally, you'll break him."

"I am _not_ that bad!" Squall insisted, deciding to forget about Violet's confusing words.

Seifer smiled. "You're not as bad as you could be," he agreed, something secretive and shared just between them in his voice.

"Thank Hyne for that," Squall muttered and Seifer laughed. "Come on, let's go back downstairs."

Violet shook her head as they made their way back to Christal and Gregory. Those two were so confusing.

-0-

Squall stared out his bedroom window without really seeing anything. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to get Violet's earlier words out of his head, and it bothered him. During dinner, Jessie had made a point to flirt with Seifer – he'd been ignoring her the whole day – and he'd sort of waved her off, distracted by something Squall had been saying about the programme they'd just finished watching. It had been so unlike his usual self, but something in Squall's stomach had just about done a dance, and he hadn't been irritated at Jessie's advances, for once.

And that's when he realised he'd always been strangely short with any girl who made advances on Seifer, and he'd never even noticed it. He'd been acting out of jealousy for _years_ , and he honestly hadn't known what to think about that, so he'd snapped his mouth shut and frowned a bit into his food.

And Seifer had blinked and asked, "Squall? You okay?"

"Just thinking," Squall had replied, stabbing at his mashed potatoes.

Seifer had shrugged and turned to say something to Gregory, silently agreeing to leave Squall to his thoughts without question and even heading Christal off before she could pester him. Seifer was the _only person_ who didn't push; all their other friends, all of the Ghost's friends, they'd always pushed and pushed, trying to get him to _talk_ about what he was feeling or thinking. The only time Seifer had ever pushed was about the Ghost, and Squall had needed to share that, in retrospect.

Seifer knew _when_ to push, was the important thing, and Squall loved him for that.

 _'Wait, love?'_ Squall had realised, and he'd frozen with his fork halfway to his mouth. _'Love, like... like platonic, right? Because we're best friends, and even if we kissed–'_

 _"Don't kid yourself, Ice Child,"_ Diablos had interrupted. _"Your emotions regarding the Fire Child haven't been strictly platonic since you told him about your Ghost, and even before that, it's suspect. Stop **hiding** from yourself and just get over it. It stopped being entertaining years ago. No matter **what** Shiva says."_

Squall had set his fork down, then, and announced, "Excuse me," before practically fleeing the room.

He'd only been vaguely aware of Seifer's voice saying, "Chris, really, he'll be _fine_. Sometimes, Squally just needs a little bit of alone time. I'll check on him after dinner." And even through the casual tone, there had been a quiet current of concern that Squall hadn't recognised until he was already curled up on his bed, staring out the window and thinking over years of being best friends with Seifer Almasy and standing back to really _look_ at his emotions in regards to his friend.

 _'I love him,'_ Squall admitted, his stomach knotting at the thought. _'I can't imagine my life without him. I don't **want** to imagine my life without him, even if it means we're just friends, like now. I don't...'_ Squall closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the window glass. _'I don't want to just be friends. I want... I want to be able to know he's always there, to sleep next to him and listen to him bitch and moan when I get out of bed at first light, or be kept up all night by him reading a book or typing on the computer. I want him there, on those rare nights when Shiva can't protect me from the dreams. I want to be able to throw those ridiculous stuffed animals at each other, like we did when Chris first bought them, without having to go out into the middle of the dorm hallway._

 _'I want to curl up with him after a long day and finally get a chance to relax. I want to share kisses without him always asking, even if that's kind of amusing. I want to–'_ his cheeks flushed with warmth and he pressed closer to the window, _'–pleasure him, and be pleasured by him. I want to share my jour–'_ Squall sat up straight, surprised by his own thoughts, and his gaze turned, almost against his will, towards the drawer his collection of journals had been placed in shortly after their adoption, his bedroom in the manor being a far safer place than a dorm room in Garden. _'Can I really share that with someone? Seifer already knows everything about the Ghost, but **everything** is in there, my thoughts and fears and–'_

 _"Love is a two-way street,"_ Shiva advised. _"If you want to make a relationship, hiding things isn't the way to do it. If you want to know his thoughts and fears, you must be willing to share your own. You don't have to share the journal, necessarily, but you will have to be willing to speak of them."_

Squall rubbed at his scar, relaxing just the slightest bit at the familiar motion and uncaring that the make-up was flaking off. _'I know that. I–'_

"Squall? You still alive in there?"

Squall's heart stopped for one moment and the knot in his stomach tightened. _'It's just Seifer,'_ he snapped at himself. _'Get a fucking **grip**.'_

"Squally?"

"I'm– yeah, I'm fine."

The door pushed open and Seifer poked his head in, eyes dark with concern. "Chris wanted us to change into our tuxes," he said, instead of pressing Squall.

The knot in his stomach loosened a bit and Squall relaxed. "Oh, right. Forgot about that..." He slipped off his bed and over to his cupboard, where his suit and dress had both been hung up during their first night. "I'll be right out."

Seifer didn't move for a long moment, watching Squall shuffle through his things. When the brunet looked back at him curiously, he shook his head. "Okay," he agreed and pulled the door shut behind him. Seifer _hated_ it when Squall hid things from him, especially considering the happenings of the last twenty-four hours, but he figured it was probably _because_ of the last twenty-four hours that Squall was being so close-mouthed.

 _'We agreed to talk tonight,'_ Seifer reminded himself as he pulled out the two tuxes in his own cupboard and looked between them. _'The dark green, or the black? Squally's suit is black, but I **really** like the green. And I wore the black last night... Not that there's anything **wrong** with wearing the same tux... Oh, who am I kidding?'_ The black tux was shoved back in the cupboard and Seifer set about changing into the green one.

Seifer finished before Squall, but considering how long it _usually_ took Squall to get into fancy dress – especially since it required taming his hair – Seifer wasn't all that surprised, and he leaned back against the wall outside Squall's door, his mind once again turning to the troubled frown Squall had been sporting when he'd looked in earlier. _'Just as long as he's not having second thou– Oh, dear Hyne, **don't** let him be having second thoughts. I am so not giving up whatever this is without one **hell** of a fight, Leonhart. Don't you even **think** about chickening out on me.'_

The door of Squall's room pulled open and he stepped out into the hallway, scowling a bit as he fought with his bowtie. "Damn...thing..."

Seifer laughed at that, because Squall _always_ had trouble with his ties – bow or straight – for some reason no one could comprehend. Squall Leonhart, boy genius, nothing they threw at him even slowed him down. Except a tie.

Squall let out an irritated sound and pulled the thing off to toss it in Seifer's face. "Fix it!"

Seifer fixed the mess Squall had knotted the fabric into and moved forward to put it on properly. "We should get you one of those clip-on bowties that they make for little kids."

"You'd best not be insinuating anything about my age, Seifer," Squall growled, still irritated at his bowtie.

"Never," Seifer replied, stepping back to take in his handiwork. "There, perfect."

With the cursed bowtie dealt with, Squall let himself get a good look at Seifer. "The green one?" he murmured, surprised. Seifer didn't wear his green suit often, since it rarely suited their missions, but Squall rather liked it on him; it brightened his eyes.

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Seifer shrugged. "I felt like it."

Squall reached up a hand, stopped himself just shy of Seifer's lapel for a breath, then continued the motion to brush his hand over the fold of fabric. "It looks good on you," he admitted.

Seifer blinked in surprise, then opened his mouth to say the first thing that came to mind: "Not as good as that dress did on you." Then he wanted to smack himself, because he _didn't_ want to start a fight.

Anger flashed in Squall's eyes, but then he snorted and amusement took its place. "Social skills, Seifer," he teased, turning away. "Come on, before Chris comes up after us."

"Considering I've already had to dissuade her from coming up here three times since you vanished," Seifer replied with a light tone as he fell into step with Squall, "that's a very real possibility. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Squall paused for a blink and shook his head. "Not right this moment," he allowed.

"Hm. I suppose I'll have to make do," Seifer decided.

"...thank you."

Seifer shot the younger teen a smile. "I _do_ possess some tact."

"Will wonders never cease."

"Oh, shut up."

Squall's lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile, which Seifer would have missed if he hadn't been shooting the younger teen a mock irritated look. But he saw it, and he relaxed a bit, figuring that if Squall was still smiling at a stupid rejoinder, they would be okay.

Christal was appropriately excited to see the two teens in their suits, almost more so than she'd been about the suit and dress the night before. Once the photos were done, the two SeeDs excused themselves for the night, Seifer claiming he wanted to get some reading in while Squall insisted he was feeling a little tired – "We had a late night and an early morning, Chris. Really, I'm _fine_." – and returned to their rooms.

Outside his door, Squall said, "When you're done, we can talk in my room."

Seifer raised an eyebrow at that, since Squall _never_ agreed to meetings anywhere near his journal, even though Seifer had sworn to leave it alone. "Okay," he agreed.

When Seifer got into Squall's room, the brunet was seated on his pillow – under which Seifer knew he kept his journal – and staring out the window. Seifer settled on the edge of the bed, feeling suddenly very uncertain. Which was silly, because he'd never felt uncertain around Squall before. Had he?

"While it's not really an official mandate, fraternization between SeeDs is a _really bad_ idea. Especially when you're partners," Squall commented quietly.

Seifer tensed. "You're not–?"

"That being said," Squall interrupted, turning to look at Seifer with tired eyes, "we've always been closer than strictly advisable; it's a large part of what makes us such a good team. The reason SeeD dislikes relationships between soldiers is because it could endanger a mission if one of the members is put in a spot where they have to choose between their partner and the preferred ending of the mission."

Seifer's expression darkened as he recalled just such a mission the two of them had been assigned on shortly after their trip to Centra, whereupon Seifer had been the one forced to choose between getting Squall out of a holding cell and possibly jeopardising everything, or going through with their orders and blowing the place to hell. He'd ended up trusting that Squall would find his own way out, because it was _Squall_ – and because if he'd gone back for Squall and their mission failed, the younger SeeD would have killed him – and set the place to blow. Things had worked out for the best, but Seifer had _hated_ being forced to choose between his best friend and a mission he didn't give a rat's ass about.

Squall's lips twisted with a grim smile. "Given, a close friendship isn't quite on the same level as romantic involvement, but if anyone in SeeD could make something like this work, it would be us. Not just because we've had practice, but because we're both experienced enough, and trust each other enough, that we can keep on task, no matter the danger." His eyes hardened. "Unless you disagree?"

Seifer frowned. Could he leave Squall behind again, knowing there was a chance that would be it? Could he survive being left behind without chance of rescue?

 _'Yes,'_ he decided. _'I trust Squall to get out of any tight spot, and knowing Squall was waiting for me would keep me going. It always has.'_ He nodded. "We're SeeD," he announced, "we live by our weapons, and one day we'll probably die by them; die young, even. I would rather chance a real relationship with you now, than sit back and watch our friendship break up because we wouldn't let ourselves take a chance."

Squall's eyes lit with relief and he slumped a bit. "Thank Hyne."

Seifer's eyes widened. "You mean, you _weren't_ trying to talk yourself into ending this before it started?" he asked, more than a little surprised. He thought for sure that Squall had been citing quasi regulation at him to show him why this was a bad idea, not to make certain Seifer was aware of the risks.

Squall scooted forward, leaving his protective position over the pillow and journal, and rested his forehead against Seifer's shoulder. "The thought never crossed my mind," he admitted, because he _hadn't_ thought about refusing this relationship, even before he'd realised the extent of his emotions for the blond.

Seifer twisted, moving more fully onto the bed and causing Squall's head to fall against his chest. When Seifer moved his arms around Squall's shoulders, the younger teen scooted closer and relaxed against him. Seifer took a moment to enjoy having his best friend – boyfriend? – in his arms, then asked, "What _were_ you stressing yourself out about, then?"

"I–" Squall's throat closed over and he pressed his face more firmly against Seifer's chest; it was one thing to admit his feelings to himself, and something completely different to admit them out loud to the object of his affection.

Seifer's arms tightened around Squall, worried at the uncharacteristically halted response. Granted, Squall didn't always speak when given the chance, and he rarely said impolitic things, like Seifer was wont to do, but once he set himself to actually explaining something, he didn't stop partway through. "Squall?"

Squall took a deep breath and decided to try a less direct route, silently cursing his own lack of practise with sharing his thoughts and emotions for making this harder than it should have been. "Violet... said something to me, and it got me thinking."

"Do I need to beat her up?" Seifer wondered, only joking a little bit.

Squall huffed. "Shut up and let me talk, or get out," he ordered.

Seifer snorted at that, but when Squall started to shove against him, trying to get free, Seifer tightened his arms and said, "I'm not leaving." Squall stopped trying to get away, but he remained stubbornly silent until Seifer sighed and promised, "I won't interrupt you again."

"Hm." Squall shifted, getting more comfortable in Seifer's hold, then started speaking again, "She wanted to apologise for making me jealous– Shut up," he snapped when the chest under his head expanded with a deep breath, as if Seifer was preparing to speak. Seifer silently shook his head, but kept his mouth shut, so Squall continued, "She implied I was jealous of something she'd done concerning you, and I didn't get it. Then, at dinner, Jessie flirted with you, like she always does, and you ignored her. And I was... happy. I hadn't really realised it before, but I always get really irritated when you start flirting with girls, even when you do it to get information."

"You're jealous because I flirt with Jessie?" Seifer asked, then snapped his mouth shut and tightened his arms in preparation for Squall to try shoving away again.

Squall sighed. "Basically."

"I'll never flirt with another person again," Seifer swore.

Squall couldn't help the smile that stole across his face at that, and it showed in his voice when he replied, "Yes, you will, because I _can't_ flirt – nor do I want to learn – and women tend to tell you far more than they otherwise would when you get obnoxiously charming."

"But if it bothers you–"

"Seifer," Squall interrupted, looking up to glare at the blond, "we're not letting our relationship affect the way we do our job."

Seifer deflated a bit. "I know, but we could still get the information without me flirting. Right?"

Squall sighed and shook his head, muttering, " _Why_ did I have to fall in love with an idiot?" Then he froze and paled a bit, realising what he'd just said. _'Well, that's **one** way to tell him,'_ he thought somewhat cynically as he peeked back up at Seifer through his bangs.

For his part, Seifer sort of blinked a few times, Squall's words echoing in his ears. _'Love? Like, real love? Like, serious emotional attachment? Holy Hyne...'_ He looked down and met the scared eyes, more blue than grey with the emotion. "Squall..."

Squall swallowed and shook his head. "I don't– I hardly expect you to _return_ the affect–"

Seifer leaned down and pressed his lips against Squall's, one hand coming up to cradle the back of the brunet's head. Before the kiss could deepen, Seifer pulled back and whispered, "You are the _single_ most important thing in my life. My SeeD title, Hyperion, Chris and Greg... I would give _all_ of it up for you. It's _always_ been that way for me, ever since everyone else left and it was just you and me at the orphanage. Before that, even."

"You–"

"I don't _have_ a name for it," Seifer interrupted. "I don't know if I love you or if I'm just fucking obsessed, but you are _everything_ to me. And if you weren't as fucking amazing as you are at everything – if I didn't _know_ I could trust you to take care of yourself – we would have some _serious_ problems with the whole 'keeping on with the mission while the other one's in danger', because I am _not_ losing you."

Squall just sort of stared at him for a moment, heart pounding at that declaration, then he leaned up and crushed his mouth to Seifer's, both hands burying themselves in Seifer's hair. Seifer returned the kiss with equal force, licking along Squall's mouth until the brunet opened it and let him in.

Then it was a duel of tongues, neither willing to submit to the other, until they had to pull apart and breathe, dizzy with the lack of oxygen.

"Stay with me tonight?" Squall whispered, breath ghosting over Seifer's lips and causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"You trust me in the same room with your journal?" Seifer whispered back, finding it impossible to forget the desired object. He _would_ get Squall to let him–

"You can read it tomorrow," Squall promised, a note of surprise in his voice, as if he hadn't been aware he was going to say that until it had already come out.

Seifer coughed on a breath in shock. "What, seriously?"

Too-blue eyes slid towards one side for a moment, then back towards green, determination sparking behind the uncertainty. "Yes."

Seifer's eyes softened. "Thank you." He brushed a hand over the back of Squall's neck, overly pleased with himself when the younger boy shuddered. "Am I staying here tonight to do naughty things to you–?"

"Where Chris or Greg could hear?" Squall hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Are you _insane_?"

"Quite possibly." Seifer waggled his eyebrows. "I'm sure they've heard it all before. You know Kyla and Reg were an item for a while, right? Ed told me they were _quite_ lou–"

"You're impossible," Squall informed him. "We're not having sex."

Seifer's lips lifted in inexplicable amusement at hearing _that_ word from Squall – hearing it from Quistis would have almost been funnier, though. "I never said anything about _sex_ , Squally. Some mutual pleas–"

"Stop right there," Squall ordered, narrowing his eyes.

Seifer's grin widened. "Come on, Squally. We're both growing boys, you know. Thinking about sex and masturbating is practically hard-wired in. There's nothing _shameful_ about it."

Squall's eyes narrowed even further. "I can think of two poisons, off the top of my head, that have a detrimental effect on the body's production of testosterone. Give me a few minutes and I can probably remember a couple more."

Seifer paled and he held his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Right, nothing beyond kissing at Greg and Chris' place. Got it."

Squall stared at him for a long moment, distrustful, then nodded and slid backwards, out of Seifer's reach. "Come on. I'm tired."

Seifer sighed and followed Squall under the covers, more than a little surprised when his friend immediately cuddled against him after he'd hit the switch for the bedside lamp. "You're a cuddler?" he murmured, unable to help himself.

Squall muttered wordlessly into his chest, then said, "Yes. Now, shut up and let me sleep."

Seifer let out a quiet laugh and wrapped an arm comfortably around Squall's back, drawing him a little bit closer. Squall made a content noise in response. _'I can **definitely** get used to this,'_ the blond thought and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

-0-

Reading ten years of almost daily journal entries turned out to be no mean feat, Seifer discovered, especially when Chris had plans to keep them busy all week, and Seifer and Squall had spying in the evenings. There was also the vague concern about what Semans had planned, because neither SeeD was of the opinion that the city boss would take their firm hand laying down. Spending time in the city with their adopted parents and Violet was rather like painting a giant target on all their backs, but they couldn't justify continuing to force the three civilians to remain indoors when Seifer and Squall were more than capable of protecting them.

Their second day out, Squall was the one to spot their tail. He and Seifer had remained at the back of the group – having been through the museum two or three times already with Christal kept anyone from questioning the position, especially with Violet more than willing to play the captive audience to Christal's rambling explanation for everything they came across – so he gave a quiet 'hm' that caught Seifer's attention from the display he was gazing at somewhat blankly, but went unnoticed by the rest of their group. 'Navy coat,' Squall signed in front of his body, keeping their tail from spotting the silent communication.

Seifer's left eyebrow raised and he gave the glass cases ahead of them a casual perusal, eyes sharpening when he took in the scruffy young man skulking along behind them, his street-worn clothing terribly out of place in the museum, which was usually populated by the upper class, for all that entrance was free. 'You're sure?' he signed back, also keeping his hands in front of his body. 'Street kids don't usually come in here, but it's not impossible.'

'He's been following us for the past hour.'

'We've already been in here for an hour?' Seifer signed back, his expression tragic.

Squall rolled his eyes. 'Do you want to take care of him, or should I?'

Seifer's expression brightened. 'Thanks for taking one for the team,' he replied before speeding up a bit and saying, "Chris, Greg, I need to use the big boy's room."

"The– What?" Squall sputtered.

Seifer turned back to him, grinning. "If I'd said the 'little boy's room', Chris might have got the impression that I needed a chaperone and sent Greg with me, but I _know_ how much Greg likes the Dollet Empire rooms, so..."

"You're an idiot," Squall informed him.

"So you keep telling me," Seifer agreed before looking back at where the other three were watching them with smiles. "I'll catch up, promise."

Christal waved him off. "Go on. I trust you not to get lost in here." She turned to Squall as Seifer hurried off in the direction of the toilets, which just happened to be in the opposite direction from the tail. "Squall, stop sulking about back there and join the rest of us."

Squall sighed and sped up to join the other three as they entered the room dedicated to the Dollet Empire, which was, indeed, Gregory's favourite topic, and one he loved to wax poetic about.

Seifer had slipped through one of the 'employees only' doors on the way to the toilets and used the back hallways to slip in behind their tail. The young man didn't even see the blond until Seifer had slammed him against the glass of one of the wall displays with enough force to shake the glass, but not damage it. "The sooner you explain why you're following my family, the fewer fingers you lose," he whispered against the older teen's ear, one of his knives pressed against the other's throat.

Pale eyes widened with terror. "Some'un p-paid m-me!" he stuttered.

"One of the city boss' men, by any chance?" Seifer enquired in a voice dripping with the promise of violence.

The guy shook his head. "N-no! Bu-but the g-guy s-s-some-times does w-work f-fer 'im."

"So, I'm going to assume you're meeting this guy again? Tonight, maybe?" Seifer said, pressing his knife against the skin of the older teen's throat.

"Ye-yeah! I-I won't tell 'im n-nothin' 'bout y-you!"

Seifer chuckled darkly. "No, you'll tell him about seeing us. Then you'll pass on this message: The next person we see following our family will be sent back to Semans in pieces. Any further attempts to tail us will end in us following through on an earlier promise." He smiled pleasantly at his captive. "Think you can remember all that?"

"Yeah!"

Seifer nodded and stepped back, slipping his knife away casually enough that the other could see the very real weapon. Terror flashed in his eyes and Seifer considered his work done. "Have a good day," he said before turning and walking towards where his family had disappeared to. Behind him, the street kid ran for it.

Two days later, Seifer caught another tail. Squall was the one who took care of that, much older and more experienced, man, sending him back to Semans in pieces, as promised. That night, he'd commented, "It was almost a shame to have to kill him. He really was quite a good fight."

"Not as good as you, though," Seifer had replied from where he was hunched over their receiver for the bugs. "He didn't even nick you."

"I said he was quite good, not that he was SeeD level. A third-year cadet could have taken him," Squall scoffed, then shot the receiver a dirty look. "Aren't they _done_ yet?"

Seifer snorted. "Having sex takes _time_ , Squally." His eyes lit up with an idea. "You know, we're not at Chris and Greg's place–"

"I will _gut_ you if you don't stop," Squall snapped.

Seifer sighed with mock regret. "You're such a prude."

Squall's lips pressed into a thin line. "We're _working_ , Seifer."

"Seems to me like we're sitting here, listening to a couple having sex in the room across the hall."

"I am _not_ having this conversation with you."

Seifer laughed and glanced at the clock. Deciding there was time yet before they were done in the other room, he pushed away from the desk and joined Squall on the bed he'd staked out. When the brunet narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to order Seifer back to the receiver, Seifer grabbed the back of his head and pressed forwards for a kiss. Their tongues duelled for a moment, then Seifer relented, giving Squall control of the kiss, which the younger teen took, exploring Seifer's mouth with relentless swipes.

Eventually, Squall pulled back, brow furrowed. "What's the point of this?" he whispered.

Seifer brushed a lock of hair from Squall's eyes, smiling when the younger teen tilted his head towards the gesture. "I felt like it," he replied.

"You're always so impulsive."

"You love it, though."

Squall snorted. "It irritates me," he replied drily. When Seifer's expression fell, he added, "Impulsiveness has its place, and Hyne knows it's helped us out of some tight spots. But I don't care for that particular trait of yours."

Seifer laughed and tugged Squall into a hug. "Social skills, Squally."

Squall rolled his eyes even as he rested his head on Seifer's shoulder. "What about the receiver?"

"They'll be at it for another twenty minutes or so, judging by past experience. I'm getting my cuddle-time in before you take your nap."

"I don't nap."

"Oh, you so do. You're falling asleep right now, aren't you?"

Squall, who had closed his eyes and was halfway to a doze, huffed and buried his face in Seifer's shirt collar. "Shut up, you ass."

Seifer chuckled and carefully laid them both back on the bed, keeping Squall held tight in his arms. "Go on, then."

"The receiver–"

"Go to sleep, Squall."

Squall huffed again, but obediently relaxed against Seifer and dozed off. He only half-woke when Seifer shifted to return to the receiver, quickly falling back to sleep when Seifer ran a hand through his hair.

About an hour later, Seifer shook him awake. "They're gone."

Squall shook the sleep from his head and sat up. "Anything interesting?"

"Apparently Lady Knightlinger is pregnant."

Squall snorted. "No she's not."

Seifer grinned and helped pull Squall out of the bed. "That's what I said, but Lord Knightlinger certainly believes it. Should we bitch her out for ruining our investigation?"

"You think he intends to stop because of a baby?" Squall wondered, running a hand through his hair a few times, trying to get it to fall into some semblance of order. He'd considered cutting his hair on more than one occasion, the longer cut not really suited to a lifestyle of fighting and wearing disguises, but every time he mentioned it out loud, one of his friends would talk him down. Not that he really _wanted_ to lose the familiar cut, really, it just got annoying sometimes. (Seifer had somewhat jokingly suggested, at one point, that he grow it out like Laguna had, so he could pull it back and out of his face. Squall had wasted no time in explaining _exactly_ why Laguna's hairstyle was that of an idiot, starting with how much having your hair pulled _hurt_. Demonstrations on Seifer's person had been included.)

"Nope!" Seifer wrapped an arm around Squall's waist and swatted away any hands seeking to make him let go. "Come on. Even _I'm_ starting to get tired, now."

"Why are you holding me?" Squall grumbled as they stepped out of their rented room and started for the lift.

"Because the hotel staff already think we're using that room for sex; nothing wrong with giving them a bit of proof."

Squall sighed and shook his head, but admitted that it _would_ look a little less suspicious for two guys to be renting a room together if they played up their relationship a bit. By the time the lift had reached the main floor, Squall was resting his head on Seifer's shoulder again and trying to not fall back asleep.

Seifer winked at the giggling hostess as he led Squall passed her. She waved him on, then scampered over to talk to another hostess, who was seeing off another couple. "See, plan implemented."

"If someone stops us during one of Chris' trips and asks if we're gay, I'm denying it," Squall warned him. "I don't care if Chris and Greg would be okay with it, we are _not_ sharing our relationship with them."

"They're going to find out," Seifer pointed out gently.

Squall knew that, but... "Not right now. Maybe in a couple months."

Seifer smiled at that and shook his head. "Okay, Squally. We'll wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all that the boys seem rather determined to kiss all the time, Squally's refusing all sex. I love and hate him for this.  
> I also love and hate the emotions talk. It needed to happen, and I'm _so_ glad it's done, but I'm not sure how they turned out. *sigh*


	12. Running Out of Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to anyone who was looking forward to smex in this chapter, seeing as how they're finally back at Garden and all that. XD Didn't happen.

When they got back to Garden after their spying mission in Deling City, it was shortly after dinnertime. They'd stopped in Balamb Town to get some food as soon as they disembarked, and Cid had known about the findings of their mission before Lady Knightlinger had, so they went straight to the dorms. Instead of dropping their stuff in their own rooms, however, they headed for Zell and Raijin's room, knowing they'd get hell if they didn't visit their friends right away and rescue them from class work for a couple hours. (And, of course, the two SeeDs would get dragged into assisting with the work, ending up getting to bed nightmarishly late and being happier about it than they should have been.)

Seifer reached the door just ahead of Squall and knocked. "One minute!" Raijin shouted from inside. There was the sound of things being shoved around and a quiet curse from Irvine, making the two teens outside trade bemused looks. Raijin finally pulled the door open after a few minutes and relaxed at the sight of them. "It's just Seifer and Squall, guys," he announced. A very loud, multi-person sigh resounded from behind the bulky teen.

"I think I'm insulted," Seifer commented, shoving at Raijin. "Let us in."

Raijin stepped to the side and let the two SeeDs in. After a quick perusal of the messy room, they accounted for everyone _but_ Xu – and October, but he didn't tend to hang out with the younger group of friends during the evenings, preferring his few older friends among the SeeD ranks. Recalling that the young woman's birthday was in a few weeks, Squall asked, "What are you plotting for Xu?"

There were sheepish smiles all around at that. "Just a little... Well, you know how she's been wanting that new car the Tempest company's just released to the public?" Zell asked as they all took seats around the floor, Squall and Seifer's bags left next to the door.

"Yeah, sure," Seifer agreed for both of them, remembering well how much Xu had been gushing over the car. SeeDs didn't usually have personal vehicles, seeing as Balamb Garden was sort of stuck on an island, but a couple of the particularly rich SeeDs and upper classmen brought something from home and kept it in the garage just to show it off. The Han family wasn't particularly rich or influential, but that hardly kept Xu from drooling over the newest car in the Tempest line.

"Well, her dad said way definitely _no_ ," Selphie chirped, looking more excited than she should have been at that statement.

"There's no way you can afford that car on a cadet's salary," Squall pointed out drily. "Even adding in Quisty's SeeD income won't make up the difference."

The group of teens shifted before Zell nodded to Irvine and the cowboy slipped into the blond's room, coming out with a rather realistic model of the car. "It was the best we could do," Raijin said mournfully.

Seifer turned away, both hands clapped over his mouth to keep from laughing madly at their pathetic expressions. Squall just sighed and rubbed at his scar.

"I think it looks pretty good," Selphie said, pouting a bit at their reactions.

Roxanne straightened next to her roommate and shot the two male SeeDs an imperious look. "For laughing, Sir Seifer, you'll be buying Xu the real thing."

Seifer snorted. "Yeah, alright." At their disbelieving looks, he shrugged and said, "Squall and I put the order in while we were in Deling."

"You're a bunch of sneaky bastards!" Selphie declared as she launched herself across the floor and tackled both of them with a hug. Roxanne wasn't far behind her and the others laughed at the sight of the two best SeeDs in all of Garden, trapped under a couple of overly excited girls.

When the two girls finally got off and moved back to their previous positions on the floor, Squall remembered the silent presence in the back of his mind. "Hey, Selph, I've got a present for you."

Selphie's expression lit up. "A present? For me?"

"No, for the mouse in your pocket," Seifer replied, rolling his eyes in amusement.

Squall concentrated for a moment and Doomtrain's sickly purple and green crystal appeared in his hand, which he held out to the chipper girl. "Doomtrain."

Selphie took the crystal with a curious look and junctioned it. After a moment of silent, internal contemplation, her eyes brightened. "Awesome!"

Squall and Seifer both leaned back to listen as Selphie started talking rather gleefully about her new GF and about the bad man who'd had it before, but then Squall had rescued it and told it there was an amazing friend of his who was looking for a good GF and, and, and...

By the time Seifer and Squall managed to escape their friends – having related the whole story about Semans at least twice and being bullied into unearthing the photos Chris had taken during that visit – it was past midnight and Squall was almost asleep on his feet. Seifer followed the brunet into his room, ostensibly to ensure Squall didn't fall asleep on the floor, but in reality, he had every intention of sleeping in Squall's bed.

Squall didn't have anything negative to say about Seifer staying over, waiting until they were both changed into sleep trousers before tugging the blond down into the bed and curling against him with a pleased sigh.

Seifer only cursed their friends a little bit for wearing Squall out on their first night outside Deling City, but he was kind of tired from the train ride, anyway, so he wasn't as upset as he could have been.

-0-

They hadn't really _tried_ to hide their relationship from their friends, it's just that Squall wasn't much for public displays of affection, and Seifer had discovered himself to rather enjoy keeping Squall's affections to himself. They hadn't seen the point in telling anyone straight out that they were a couple – especially since Cid or the faculty could very well consider that just cause for breaking up their partnership – but they didn't make a huge secret of it either. It was just...they'd always been close, so no one thought much about seeing the two teens share a meal in the cafeteria or walk particularly close in the halls. They also tended to be outside of Garden more than they were in, still, so catching them out wasn't an easy task, especially if no one was looking for it.

It wasn't until Irvine joined the elder two SeeDs on an assignment up in Trabia almost six months after they officially got together that anyone found out.

Squall and Seifer had been trying to negotiate the release of a small group of women and children from one of the mountain villages for a good week before they finally got an agreement to a meeting with the bandit group who had done the kidnapping. The bandits had insisted the two SeeDs come in unarmed, insisting this was a 'peaceful negotiations meeting'. Normally, Squall and Seifer wouldn't have had a problem with meeting hostiles without weapons, being more than capable of holding their own in a fist-fight, but the village elder and two of the husband/fathers had determined to come with.

"No," Seifer had snapped. "It's too dangerous for a couple of civilians. We're _not_ taking you with us."

"Then we'll go on our own," one of the husband/fathers snapped back. The whole village was on edge, especially since they didn't know what was happening to their people. They'd only called on SeeD because the first group of men they'd sent after the bandits had been slaughtered and sent back to the village in pieces. Squall and Seifer weren't welcome there, especially since they'd insisted on trying for peaceful negotiation before sending another group into an unknown hideout to be killed.

"We'll wait a few days," Squall decided in a quietly calm voice, touching a hand to Seifer's arm to calm his lover before the blond could get into another shouting match with the villagers. "We've got a friend who will even the stakes a bit."

"We do?" Seifer wondered.

"Irvine."

Seifer blinked a few times, then his eyes lit with understanding when he remembered that the meeting position the bandits had agreed on had a clear line-of-sight from a nice cliff. A cliff that would be an excellent sniping position. "Yeah, that should work."

"What if we don't _have_ a few days?" the husband/father half-shouted.

"Then you can run in there like an idiot chocobo and leave your wife and son to mourn their husband and father once we've freed them," Squall replied in that same even tone, his eyes cold as the snowy mountains they resided in.

The villagers had dispersed, muttering amongst themselves, and Seifer had taken a trip down the mountain to the nearest town with cable access to request their sniper friend.

Two days later, Irvine was driven into the village by one of the townspeople from down the mountain, who quickly retreated from the heated atmosphere.

"Your friend is finally here," one of the villagers announced nastily to Squall and Seifer as Irvine was led into the small hut the SeeDs had been leant.

Seifer shot the villager a murderous look. Squall sighed and said, "We'll head out for the meeting tomorrow afternoon."

"Wow," Irvine said once the villager had left. "They _really_ don't like you two."

"They wanted us to go storming into a base that we don't even have exact coordinates on, let alone a layout of, and get their families back before we even set our stuff down," Seifer grumbled as Irvine joined the other two around the small table they'd been eating lunch at. "We decided they were idiots and set about requesting negotiations with the bandits. And when we couldn't talk them out of letting us go alone, we made them wait until we had someone to cover our asses, since we're going in without weapons."

Irvine raised an eyebrow at that. "This sounds like fun. You got a map around here, somewhere?"

"One moment," Squall agreed as he got up to sort through his bag. They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing all their plans and sorting things out. Over dinner, Irvine caught the other two SeeDs up on the happenings of their friends, since Seifer and Squall hadn't really seen the others since the SeeD exam four months ago; the others always seemed to be out on assignments during the rare times Squall and Seifer were in Garden, and most of their communications ended up going through Roxanne, Raijin, or Fujin, since they were all still cadets. (Technically, Fujin could have taken the exam this year, but she'd wanted to keep Raijin company for another year.)

When they'd finished with dinner, Irvine took in the two cots set up in the room and asked, "So, who's sleeping where?"

"You can have that one," Squall said, pointing at the cot that he and Seifer had mostly ignored for their stay.

Irvine shrugged and got up to dump his bag next to the bed. He pulled out his sniper rifle and set about cleaning it while Squall laid back on the other cot to mend a slashed shirt and Seifer pulled out a worn notebook to read at the table. Irvine managed about ten minutes of silent curiosity – he'd never seen Seifer read _anything_ , though the others had sworn that they'd seen the blond bowed over a school book once or twice...but reading for pleasure wasn't something anyone had seen much of, and certainly not something handwritten – before he had to ask, "Seifer, what're you reading? Porn?"

Seifer snickered. "No, alas. It's just Squally's diary." Then he had to duck under the table – quite the feat, given how low the table was – to avoid the knife Squall threw. "Journal! His _journal_!"

Squall pinned his best friend with a chilled look as Seifer crawled back out from under the table. "Stop calling it that."

Seifer rolled his eyes and tugged the knife out of the tabletop before tossing it back to Squall, who caught it without any apparent effort. "You _really_ need to get over that complex of yours, Squally."

Irvine shook his head at them, somewhat in awe of how casually the two tossed knives back and forth – it was easy to forget that they were the top two SeeDs when you'd known them as kids and regularly saw them half asleep or buried under Roxanne and Selphie. "Squall has a journal?" he asked. "And you're letting Seifer read it?"

"He's had it since we were kids," Seifer announced.

"Seifer's been asking to read it practically since he learned how," Squall added drily. "I finally let him have it just so he'd shut up." Which wasn't really true, but it was as much as Squall was going to explain to anyone.

"So, were the first couple entries in picture format?" Irvine wondered teasingly.

Seifer snorted. "No, though some of them _were_ on Andy's construction paper that went missing."

"It was all I could find," Squall defended. "It's not like people kept lined paper lying around."

Irvine blinked a few times, tried to remember who Andy was, then choked. "Fucking Hyne, Squall! Andy got adopted just after Zell! How long have you been able to write?"

Squall shrugged. "A while."

"He's not human," Seifer informed the sharpshooter. "I've been saying this for years, but no one will believe me."

"That's because you always exaggerate things," Irvine replied, shooting Squall an odd look. "Before I left, you and Seifer used to train with wooden sticks all the time, didn't you? And _you_ were the one teaching _him_."

"Yes."

"But _why_?" Irvine asked. "I didn't get it back then, either; your sudden infatuation with swordplay. I mean, sure, we'd play war all the time with sticks, but that was _real_. I didn't even realise _how_ real, but you were actually teaching Seifer how to grip the stick like a proper sword and how not to trip over his feet."

Squall shrugged again. "So? I read a book about it."

Irvine turned to Seifer, disbelieving, and the blond shrugged, no sympathy for the younger teen. "This is what I've put up with since before you got adopted; get used to it, Irvy."

Irvine turned his eyes back towards Squall, but the other boy had returned his attention to his mending, ignoring them both with the air of someone who'd had years of practise. Given, he probably had, knowing how persistent Seifer was. Irvine turned back toward the eldest of the three of them. "Well, maybe you can enlighten me?" he suggested. "I mean, you've got his journal, right?"

Seifer immediately shook his head, not even needing to sense Squall's sharp gaze on him to know that the brunet's secrets weren't his to share. "No can do, Cowboy. I like my intestines _inside_ my skin, see."

Irvine glanced towards Squall, shuddering at the violent gleam in the grey-blue eyes. He wisely decided his best option would be to return to cleaning his rifle and not mention the journal again within Squall's hearing range.

About an hour later, Squall had finished mending the shirt and written in a different notebook from the one Seifer was reading, and Irvine had finished cleaning his rifle and was debating getting some sleep, but Seifer was still reading, expression almost thoughtful.

"I'm going to bed," Squall announced.

"Hm?" Seifer glanced up, then checked his watch. "Oh, yeah. Hold on..." He got up and flipped off the lamp on the table, then walked over to the cot Squall had claimed. The journal was shoved under the pillow, where Irvine had noticed Squall placing the other one, then Seifer peeled off his shirt and slipped into the small cot with Squall.

Irvine sort of blinked a few times. _'Are they actually... Yes, yes they are.'_ Irvine shook his head and clicked off the light next to his cot. _'I don't get those two, sometimes....'_

-0-

"How about a kiss for luck?" Seifer asked as they got up from the low table after lunch.

Squall rolled his eyes. "No."

"A blowjob for luck?"

"Do I need to discuss hand motions with Irvy for 'shoot Seifer between the eyes'?"

Seifer laughed and wrapped an arm around Squall's shoulders. "You wouldn't," he said.

Squall snorted and rested his head against Seifer's shoulder for a moment before pulling away and turning towards where Irvine was watching the two of them with wide eyes. Sure, he'd wondered, last night, if there wasn't something going on between the two of them, but to actually catch them _cuddling_? "Irvy," the older brunet said, "are you ready to go?"

Irvine shook his head and shoved himself to his feet. "Yeah, give me a moment."

"I'll go collect the sheep," Seifer said before walking out of their hut, sans his coat.

Really, neither he nor Squall were wearing coats, as if the cold of the mountains wasn't bothering them. Irvine figured Squall made some sort of sense, being the so-called 'favourite' of Shiva, but he wasn't sure why Seifer wasn't freezing his ass off. Irvine knew they were sort of expected to show off that they were unarmed, since the bandits wouldn't meet with them if they were carrying even a single knife between the two of them. But there was obvious, and then there was _obvious_ , and wearing tight short-sleeved shirts and jeans without a coat was a little too obvious for Irvine. But, then, he wasn't Rank A, either.

Hoisting his bag onto his shoulder, Irvine turned back to Squall and nodded that he was ready, so the older teen led the way out of the hut, showing not a shiver at the sudden gust of icy wind that had Irvine hugging his arms against his body for warmth. _'I don't think **either** of them are human,'_ Irvine decided as he spotted Seifer's coat-less self with a couple of villagers, all of whom were decked out in fur coats and looking at Seifer like he was insane.

"Hey, Squally?" Irvine asked when they reached the fork that Irvine would be taking up to the cliff.

Squall glanced back at him, one eyebrow raised in silent inquiry.

"You and Seifer... Are you...?"

"We've been dating for..." Squall considered that for a moment, then settled on, "About six months."

"And you never _said_ anything?"

Squall shrugged. "No one asked," he replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, before starting off again.

Irvine shook his head, somewhat disbelieving. _' "No one asked", my ass. It's not like you showed it off, or anything.'_ Although, now that Irvine thought about it, he supposed Squall and Seifer had taken to sitting just that little bit closer in the months before the exam, but that hadn't been something any of the then-cadets had been interested in wondering after, honestly. _'Though, knowing how fucking **secretive** Squally is about things, I suppose that was sort of the point.'_

Once he was up on the cliff, Irvine snapped his rifle together and settled in to wait for everyone to show up, looking through his scope to see what was going on. Squall, Seifer, and the village party were already in place, standing slightly separate, but not far enough that the two SeeDs couldn't protect the civilians. Since he was looking for it, Irvine saw how the two SeeDs were touching shoulders, not being obvious about their relationship, but closer than one might consider normal for friends.

The villagers were clearly speaking – Irvine thought they were probably bitching to each other quietly, since Seifer wasn't glaring at them – but Squall and Seifer were silent, watching the surrounding hills with eyes trained to spot the slightest difference, even in so unfamiliar a place.

Seifer spotted the bandits first and brushed his hand against Squall's while putting a more reasonable distance between them. Irvine followed the other two SeeDs' gaze with his scope and frowned at the sight of eight heavily-armed bandits, forcefully escorting a tired group of five children and four women. One of the women stumbled and the man holding her arm yanked roughly, making her mouth open in a sound of pain that Irvine couldn't hear. He was quite glad for his distance, and he turned his scope back towards the party from the village just in time to see one of the men start forward, shouting a name just loud enough for Irvine to hear the faint echoes.

Seifer reached over and grabbed the back of the man's neck, leaning down to hiss something in his ear. The man shoved away from Seifer and rubbed at the back of his neck, but he didn't try moving towards the approaching bandits again.

When the bandits finally came to a stop a good few metres away, pleasantries were exchanged – knowing Seifer, that meant someone's parentage had just been insulted, as well as their fashion sense. Irvine could only assume they were discussing terms for the trade of the hostages, and he decided he needed to learn to read lips sometime in the future.

A minor debate started, with the village elder stepping up to reply angrily to the grinning bandit leader. Squall and Seifer watched on with blank expressions, until the elder apparently said something even more rude than Seifer's usual greeting, because the leader and two of this men reached for the very large, very nasty swords they wore on their backs. Then the two SeeD moved in sync to step between the village elder and the bandits, dangerous even without weapons.

One of the SeeDs must have said something funny, for the leader let out a loud laugh that reached Irvine and relaxed. Once the other bandits had removed their hands from their sword hilts, the two teens stepped back and let the elder continue... Irvine thought the old man might well have been crying, at that point. Begging, perhaps.

The leader laughed again, loud and violent, and turned away, motioning to his men.

Irvine's attention was caught as much by Squall's hands as he was by the teen stepping forward to speak words that Irvine couldn't hear. The SeeD sign language came through loud and clear, however: 'One warning shot to the left of the leader's head on my mark...'

Irvine settled against the trigger, eyes narrowed as he waited for Squall's hands to move again.

'Mark.'

The rifle snapped up and Irvine had fired the shot almost before he could think, years of conditioning taking over and refusing to let him think too much and miss the target. Or, in this case, _hit_ the target.

A beautiful 'oh shit' expression crossed the leader's face as the shot brushed past his ear and Irvine returned his attention to Squall, waiting to see if the older teen would require another shot.

As luck would have it – though whose luck, Hyne only knew – no further shots were required. Irvine found out once they'd returned to their hut to pack up their things, that the bandit leader was an illegitimate son of the village elder and had been banned from the village upon his majority and ordered to never return. He'd gathered together a band of other angry guys and they had made their way from village to village, stealing what they felt like when they felt like it. Honestly, if he hadn't had an axe to grind with his old man, they never would have run off with the women and children and SeeD never would have been called.

While family squabbles weren't the sort of things SeeD like to get in the middle of, Seifer and Squall had bartered for the release of the hostages. The elder had to make a proper apology to his bastard and rescind his banishment. The son, likewise, was allowed to return to his birth village, but it was suggested by Seifer that he was better off continuing his thieving ways by other villages who were less likely to call SeeD if a basket of grain or some Balamb fruit went missing. The villagers had been properly disgusted with Seifer for suggested the band of bandits continue wrecking havoc, but the blond made some new friends among the bandits.

The villagers couldn't get rid of the three SeeDs quick enough and they found themselves heading down the mountain in the all-terrain vehicle Squall and Seifer had borrowed from Trabia Garden upon their arrival less than twenty minutes after returning to the village.

Irvine had taken the back seat while Squall drove and Seifer made a half-assed attempt at playing navigator, which Squall pretty much ignored. After watching Seifer make make a fool out of himself for a good fifteen minutes, Irvine asked, "So, given that none of us noticed, why _didn't_ you mention you were dating?"

"What _is_ it with your fascination about our relationship?" Squall demanded, eyes flicking towards the sharpshooter in the rear-view mirror.

"Morbid curiosity," Irvine deadpanned.

Seifer snorted and twisted in his seat a bit to watch Irvine. "You lot were freaking out about the exam when we officially started dating, and then everybody's always on missions because Cid's a prick."

"Cid uses his resources to the best of his ability," Squall interrupted. "Just because he doesn't consider the personal preferences of his soldiers doesn't make him a 'bad man'."

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The point _is_ –" he turned back to Irvine, "–there's never been a good time to tell you all, and this isn't really something you pass through the grapevine. Especially since Cid and the faculty are trying to find a good reason to split us back up again."

"What, _still_?" Irvine asked, disgusted. "It's obvious you two work best together."

"But if we were separated, there would be twice as many missions we could go on," Squall pointed out calmly.

"Oh, go right ahead and defend them, then," Seifer snarked, scowling a bit.

"I'm simply pointing out their reasoning," Squall said, still calm. "I neither agree with it, nor would I want to be separated from you. You _know_ this, Seifer."

Seifer grinned. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't like hearing you say it every once and a while."

"You're impossible," Squall muttered, but there was a note of fondness in his voice that Irvine didn't think he'd ever heard before.

"Wow, sugar overload. I think my teeth hurt." Irvine leaned back in his seat and flashed a smile at the twin glares his comment received. "Selph is going to _love_ hearing about this, you know. She'll probably want to throw a party, right after she beats you both up for not telling her sooner."

"Oh joy," Squall deadpanned.

Irvine laughed.

-0-

_'Sis,  
'I know you've said that you want to change the past so Laguna could have been with Raine when she died and then raised the two of us, but I don't agree. Maybe life could have been better if Laguna had stayed, or if he'd come right back after they sealed Adel – then again, maybe it could have been worse. I don't know, and neither do you, which is part of the point.  
'The other part of the point is,  I like my life the way it is. I have parents and friends and a big sister – who I never see, but you can't have everything – and a job I love. I even have a man who means the world to me.  
'I know you may not be the happiest person in the world, but you're content on that ship, being a big sister to all those kids. And I am happy; all of those downtimes in the orphanage, when everyone left...all the darkness of my job...it was worth it. It is worth it.  
'If you're still determined to try changing the past, in spite of everything I've just written, I have some cautions for you: 1) You're transmitting real people to the past, and their bodies remain in the present, without their consciousness; without any way to defend themselves from danger. If you use any of us SeeDs in this project of yours, we may well be dead upon waking. Take care in who you pick and where they are. 2) If you want to change the past, you can't just send them back without any idea of what's going on. We can't change anything if we have no idea what you want to change. 3) I will not help you. Seifer will not help you. The others might or might not, but if you drag Seifer or myself into this, we will do exactly the opposite of what you want, and we may caution the others to do the same.  
'I love you, and I do want you to be happy, but not at the expense of my own happiness. Please understand.  
'Squall'_

-0-

"They look so _young_ ," Selphie commented, eyeing the new batch of cadets as they stumbled their way through Garden for the first time.

"Because you're really all that old," October teased with good humour.

"It's not just age, though, ya know?" Raijin said with a tired note to his voice. His first year as a SeeD was over, and he hadn't done all that well, being separated from all of his friends on his first four missions. Cid had finally paired him with Fujin for his fifth mission, which had gone much smoother, but his sixth mission had, again, been with another SeeD who'd graduated with him and the other boy had died.

Cid's way of cheering Raijin up had been to sort missions around so the group of friends could all spend almost two weeks together in Garden. Raijin had been an absolute _wreck_ when Zell and Irvine had arrived back first from their mission, and though he was much better after a couple days of all of them being together again – and Seifer and October sitting him down to talk about losing a partner on a mission, being the only other two to have done so – he was still looking a little worn around the edges.

Zell, accompanied by Roxanne, skidded around the corner at the far end of the hallway stretching from the lift to the second floor, their arms full of balloons filled with water. "How about some hazing?" the tattooed blond suggested with a huge grin.

"Zell!" Quistis snapped in her best 'I'm older than you and you better listen' voice. "You're not dropping water balloons on cadets!"

"It's training practise, Quis," Zell defended. "Teaching them to expect the unexpec–AAAH! Fucking _shit_!" He dropped his armful of suddenly-popped balloons and turned to stare at the throwing knife that had slipped just between his arms and rested none-too-innocently in the ground at his feet.

Squall idly tossed a second knife into the air and caught it by the blade. "Princess, go put those back," he ordered Roxanne while everyone else let out a roar of laughter at the wet and disgruntled Zell.

Roxanne flashed Squall a smile, then ran for it.

"That was dangerous, Squall," Quistis informed the brunet once she'd managed to stop laughing.

"Probably," Squall agreed as he tucked his second knife away and motioned to the one at Zell's feet. "I'll give you a free shot," he promised.

"Zell, no," Quistis snapped as Zell tugged the knife from the floor.

Before Zell could actually throw it, Fujin stalked forward and snatched it from his hands. "NO. RAI."

Everyone turned to look at where Raijin was watching the unfolding drama with short breaths. Zell's irritated expression slid away. "Aw, Rai, I'm sorry. I only meant for us to have some fun."

Raijin shook his head. "Not your fault," he whispered.

Squall stepped forward then and met the panicked brown eyes calmly. "SeeD Pimo Creamer is dead," he stated in a neutral tone, naming the boy who had died as Raijin's partner.

" _Squall_!" Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and Xu all shouted.

Squall shot them a silencing look, then turned back to Raijin, who looked sick. "He's dead," he repeated. "Nothing in this world can change that fact, and you have two choices: You can continue wallowing around like a lost child and eventually be forced to drop out of SeeD because you don't have what it takes. Or you can keep on, learn from his death, and _never let it happen again_. Do you understand?"

Raijin stared at Squall for a long moment before he nodded and croaked, "Yeah."

Squall turned towards where Fujin stood with the knife and ordered, "Throw it."

Fujin wasn't the only one who frowned. "NO."

Squall raised an eyebrow at her. "SeeD Natsuki, I gave you an order."

Fujin tensed and her eyes flickered towards where Raijin was staring on in horrified fascination. "NO," she said again, throwing the knife into the ground at her feet.

October, who thought he had an idea about what Squall was up to, stooped and picked the knife up. Barely giving himself time to aim, he threw the knife just over Squall's shoulder, at Raijin's right eye, and smiled when Squall caught it with the ease of long practice.

Squall turned to Raijin, who had turned a little green again. "Could you have stopped this knife?" he asked.

Raijin shook his head. "No."

Squall reached out and pressed the knife into Raijin's hand. "Learn to," he said, then turned to Seifer. "I'm going to the cafeteria."

Seifer grinned. "We're going to have to wade through cadets," he pointed out.

Squall shrugged and turned towards the lift. "I have a gunblade."

Seifer laughed and followed his lover away from their friends with a wave over his shoulder.

As soon as the two Rank As were gone, Quistis turned and punched October in the arm. "What were you _thinking_?!"

October shrugged. "I knew Squall would catch it."

"NOT POINT!" Fujin snapped, kicking at his ankle and only missing because he dodged.

Before Selphie, Xu, or Zell could join the attempts to beat up on October for playing along, Irvine hissed, "Look at Rai!"

They all turned to watch as Raijin tossed the knife Squall had given him into the air and attempted to catch it. The large teen hissed when he missed and cut himself, but his expression just turned more determined and he tossed it again.

"Squall was giving him something else to focus on," Zell realised. "Something to work towards. Maybe Creamer is dead, and maybe there's nothing any of us can do about that, but by picking up a new skill, there's a chance you can save the next partner."

Xu sighed. "That is just so classically _Squall_."

"BASTARD," Fujin agreed, voice softening.

When they received their next mission assignments after a couple of days, Raijin was feeling much better. His expression perked up even further when Cid informed him and Fujin that they would remain partners until such a time as one of them requested a different partner. When Fujin had asked why, Cid had drily replied, "Squall can be rather convincing when he has his heart set on something."

 _'Classic Squall,'_ Fujin thought with a touch of fondness as they left the Headmaster's office with their new mission. _'And he and Seifer left last night so we couldn't thank them. Bastards.'_

-0-

After a while, you really started to lose track of days. Especially when you were stuck in the oldest, slowest boat in all the world, on the stupidest, most tedious clusterfuck of a mission in the whole of SeeD history.

Some weeks ago – Seifer had lost track at around day eight – Seifer and Squall had been sent to the southern edge of the Esthar continent to locate and retrieve another SeeD team that had vanished down there a good three months before. The edges of Esthar's terrain were lined with the OCS, so there was no guarantee that they would actually be able to _spot_ the team, especially if the Estharians had taken them inside their borders. But there hadn't been a good way to explain that knowledge to Cid and the faculty, especially with the _chance_ that the team was on one of the islands outside the OCS.

So, there Squall and Seifer were. Stuck at sea _again_ for an indeterminable length of time. Squall had already sworn to kill any druggies on sight, and Seifer had decided he'd put any idiots who got themselves lost out of their misery, rather than dragging them back to Garden.

Seifer kicked the control panel, as if that would make everything better. In reality, all it did was make his foot hurt and the controls flicker. One of the panels didn't seem to have a use, but Seifer's kick must have moved something just right, because the screen turned on to...static.

"Oh, that's just great," Seifer muttered to himself, keeping his voice low to lessen the chances of waking the dozing Squall, who had spent the past couple days drawing out the outline of the OCS from his memories on their map. It wasn't exact, by any means, but it had saved them from a few awkward collisions.

Seifer was just reaching for what he hoped was a switch to turn the damn thing back off when the screen cleared to show some people moving across it. Seifer sort of stared with a sinking feeling in his chest as a man in a pin-striped suit stepped up to a podium and beamed towards the camera with something like disbelief. _"T-Testing... One... Two... Testing... Testing... Ohhh! P-People of the world! Can you see me? Can you hear me? Oh, this is incredible! Ladies and gentlemen, this is **not** a recording! This is–"_

"Squall," Seifer called, still staring down at the small screen. He felt sick – they should have had more _time_! " _Squall_!"

Squall let out a moan from the direction of the cot.

Seifer chanced a glance over his shoulder at his unmoving lover. "Squall, you need to get over here!"

 _"Greetings,"_ said the screen in the disgustingly familiar voice of SeeD's best client, _"I am Vinzer Deling, lifelong president of Galbadia. Today, I stand before you to make the following–"_

"Oh, fuck," Squall breathed as he stumbled to Seifer's side, roused by the voice of the Galbadian leader almost as much as he'd been by Seifer's slightly panicked shout. "We should have had another three months left," he murmured, staring down at the screen and leaning against his lover.

Seifer wrapped an arm around Squall's waist. "We stopped keeping track ages ago," he whispered, turning his head and burying his nose in Squall's hair, taking in the familiar scent of the other teen and trying to calm the bile climbing his throat.

"It can't have been three months already," Squall replied, and it was only because Seifer knew him so well that he heard the faint strain of fear in his voice.

Seifer took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter; we're out of time," he insisted.

Squall jerked at that and reached out to turn off the screen. "We're abandoning the mission and turning towards Deling City," he decided, moving his hands over the controls to change their course and give them as much speed as they could get out of the ancient engines.

"There's no way we can make it in time," Seifer said.

"I'm damn-well intending to try," Squall growled.

Seifer nodded and turned his attention to the controls, looking to see if he could help.


	13. Wake Up and Fight

 

They hit the ground running in Deling, heading straight for the Gustafson house. Reginald had the gate and he looked unusually grim. "Heard about the late-president?" he asked, attempting for a light tone and failing miserably.

"There are greater things at stake here than some possessed Sorceress taking out Deling," Seifer replied as they pushed through the gate. "Are Chris and Greg here?"

Reginald nodded, frowning slightly as he tried deciphering Seifer's cryptic message. "The Ricafortes, too. October's in D-District."

"Hyne-damned, mother-fucking, cock-sucking son of a bitch," Squall snarled before stalking towards the house.

Seifer sighed and started after his lover, sparing a, "Thanks, Reg," for the gaping guard.

Squall practically stormed into the sitting room, eyes dark with fury. The four parents in the room had all jumped to their feet in horror, but they relaxed some as they recognised the two young men and re-took their seats. "As quickly and concisely as possible, what happened last night?" Squall requested, voice laced with tension.

General August Ricaforte immediately straightened and explained, "The Sorceress Edea's parade was ended by a group of SeeDs in a failed assassination attempt. Deling was killed by Edea prior to her departure from the presidential residence. The SeeDs were captured and, rumour has it, sent to D-District."

"It's not a rumour," Seifer muttered.

Squall pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Reginald mentioned October was one of the SeeDs captured; do you know any of the others?"

"From the photos you sent us, yes," Christal replied shakily. "Irvine, Quistis, Fujin, and Raijin were all there."

"Fucking Martine," Squall growled.

Seifer shook his head. "Squall, we don't have time to curse spineless twits."

"I know." Squall ran an agitated hand through his hair and glanced back towards the parents. "Leave October and the others to us. General, I don't suppose you've a military vehicle that we might borrow? Preferably a fast one."

"Certainly," August agreed, getting to his feet. Both he and his wife looked much better upon hearing that the two SeeDs would see to their son's safety. "You need it to get into D-District?"

"It would certainly help, but we also need to get into the Galbadia Missile Base," Seifer replied. "The Sorceress is going to retaliate for the attack, and with her planning to control Galbadia Garden, the other two are going to take the heat."

"You think she's going to attack the Gardens?" Gregory whispered, paling.

"We're certain of it," Seifer replied, glancing back at August, who looked sick again at the thought of firing missiles on a school. "General, time is of the essence."

August shook himself and nodded. "May, stay here with Greg and Chris," he ordered his wife, and the woman gladly relaxed back into her seat.

"We'll message you as soon as we can," Seifer promised their adopted parents before following Squall and August from the house, the general saying something about writing them a pass to ease their entrance into both the prison and the missile base, if necessary.

The teens had 'borrowed' a car from the lot next to the Deling City docks to speed up their journey into and through the city. They quickly shifted their things from the borrowed car to the military vehicle before Seifer drove off with the borrowed car to dump it down town. Squall followed him in the military vehicle to pick him up before driving out of the city. Once outside the city limits, he floored it and they went flying towards the Galbadia Missile Base, the military vehicle taking a minor beating when Squall didn't bother trying to drive around minor patches of difficult terrain.

With them in a military vehicle and wearing the uniforms of commissioned officers – which had been lent to them by August – getting into the base was distressingly easy. They hadn't yet received the order to aim missiles at Trabia and Balamb Gardens, but the two SeeDs knew it was only a matter of time.

Being the insane hacker he was, Squall managed to set and lock the self-destruct sequence from an apparently useless computer panel just inside the main entrance of the base. He also gave them five minutes to calmly walk away from the base before the ten-minute countdown started and the rest of the base personnel ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.

"That was strangely cathartic," Seifer commented as Squall stopped them a safe distance away to watch and ensure the place actually blew. "We should blow up things that pose a potential threat more often."

"I'll keep that in mind," Squall replied drily, rubbing at his eyes.

Seifer reached over and pulled the hand from Squall's eyes. "You're going to mess up your make-up, and then they'll _never_ let us in," he chastised. When Squall's hand gripped his own, Seifer's eyes darkened with worry. "What is it?"

Squall shook his head and looked back towards the base, which was swarming with fleeing personnel.

"Squall, what is it?" Seifer repeated, voice a touch sharper in warning.

"I don't... like leaving them in the prison," Squall admitted. "I know the Ghost and them managed to free themselves before, but not without some suffering on the Ghost's part. Ultimecia is still going to want to know what SeeD is for, and I don't know which of them she'll focus on."

Seifer entwined their fingers together in a silent offer of comfort, sick at the reminder of reading in the journal what had happened to the Ghost in D-District, during that chunk of time that Shiva had stolen from Squall. He'd never been as glad for the GFs' ability to steal memories as he'd been at that moment, unwilling to imagine how he and Squall would have turned out with something like that lurking in the brunet's memories. He'd almost let Ifrit steal his own memory of the written words, but he'd stopped himself at the last moment, determined to not forget that there was a monster buried somewhere underneath his friendship and love for Squall.

If being a mercenary had taught him anything, it was that there was a darkness in everyone, hidden beneath even the most innocent smiles; being Squall Leonhart's best friend had taught him that the only way to truly master that darkness was to face it head on and accept it, something which Seifer had once thought Squall capable of doing with an inhuman ease. It was only after Squall shared the Ghost's memories that Seifer thought he understood why Squall managed so much better than any other kid in their shoes, but after becoming lovers, Seifer discovered that Squall still struggled with his own demons, the same as anyone else; he simply kept it behind closed doors and poured it out onto page after page of his journal.

The ground shook suddenly, tearing both teens from their thoughts and fears. They watched with grim smiles as a cloud formed over the missile base, growing in leaps and bounds as secondary explosions from the overheating missiles and computer systems did further damage.

Squall untangled his hand from Seifer's to put the vehicle back in gear. "Let's go."

"They're stronger than we think," Seifer commented quietly, "stronger than your Ghost ever saw them to be, certainly. And unless there's something August forgot to mention, Ultimecia doesn't have any psychological weapons against them, except Matron."

Squall sighed. "I know."

"I'm worried about them, too," Seifer murmured. "Maybe we can blow up the prison, too?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Squally!"

"No."

Seifer pulled on an outrageous pout. When a faint smile touched Squall's lips at the pout, Seifer considered himself victorious.

D-District was both easier and harder to get into than the missile base had been. Easier because there wasn't anyone manning the gate, but harder because they'd already received word that the base had been destroyed, and they were suspicious of any new arrivals. Almost before Squall could finish putting their vehicle into park, the warden and a few soldiers were walking out to meet them, guns in their hands.

After a trade of salutes, the warden said, "Evening, gentlemen. What brings you out here so late?"

"Orders from General Ricaforte," Seifer reported, holding out the paper from August. "He was unable to come out himself, due to his wife's poor health, so he sent us in his stead."

The warden read over the letter and couldn't contain a wince. "Disinherited? Ouch." He looked back up at the two young men, his expression much more open at their apparently legit reason for being there. "Well, the Sorceress gave us orders to break the kid; maybe this will do it. Might as well come on in."

They were led up into the prison, the door of the bottom floor being in the perfect position to enter by. Somewhere around floor five, Seifer flushed and asked, "I'm, erm... This is going to sound stupid, but, I don't suppose there's a toilet around here?"

"I _told_ you not to drink that tea before we left," Squall muttered, playing along.

The warden chuckled. "Yeah, there's one the floor down. Corporal, why don't you show him where it is?" he said to the soldier who'd remained with them when they entered the prison.

The soldier saluted and led Seifer back down a floor, leaving Squall and the warden to continue up alone.

Seifer really had needed to use the facilities, so he relieved himself, then casually knocked out his guide and left him to nap in the toilet. Squall had said the others had been held in the seventh floor in the Ghost's memories, so Seifer started there, peeking into cells as he passed and getting more and more concerned as he continued to turn up blank; having to search the entire prison would _not_ be fun.

At the last cell, he found the four people he'd been looking for, all looking a little downtrodden. He clicked the lock open with the ID card he'd snatched from the napping guard and shoved the door open. "Fuck, I think I'm about to suffocate on the self-pity," he snarked. "You people are _useless_ without Squall and me around, aren't you?"

"Seifer!" Quistis gasped, jumping to her feet and running over to hug him.

"Okay, just a warning, I am _not_ good with crying women. That's Squall's gig," Seifer warned, more than a little worried by the tears he'd seen in Quistis' eyes.

"IDIOT," Fujin declared, the relief in her voice clear.

"Yeah, that's me," Seifer agreed cheerfully as he gently pushed Quistis back and gave her a concerned look. "We can't dawdle, Quis."

Quistis nodded and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "I know. Sorry."

Seifer shook his head. "Your weapons should be up a floor, and Squally's gone up to the top floor to collect October. Let's get going."

The group of formerly imprisoned SeeDs traded troubled looks and took deep breaths before all nodding and following Seifer from the cell.

Upstairs, Squall and the warden were just entering the torture room, and it took all of Squall's self-control to appear outwardly emotionless at the sight of his friend: October was hung on the wall, currently being zapped with an electrical current, though the technician turned it off when he saw his superior. "Sir!" he called, performing a sharp salute.

Squall took a step forward, ignoring the technician, and snapped, "October Ricaforte!"

October's eyes snapped opened and he raised his head just enough to get a good look at Squall. Relief flashed in his gaze for just a moment before he schooled his expression into that of someone who knew the end was standing in front of them; Squall's disguise gave him a pretty good idea about how this was going to go.

Squall's heart broke just a little bit. "I have orders from General Ricaforte that you are to be informed of: 'Get my son out of D-District'."

"Wha–!" the warden gasped before a knife blossomed in his throat, making him gurgle and clutch at the hilt as he sank to his knees. The technician met a similar end, another knife hitting him in the back of his neck and sliding with an ugly sound through his spinal cord.

Squall stalked over to the controls and hit the buttons to let October down off the wall, then knelt next to the older SeeD and checked his pulse. "Your parents send their greetings," he murmured.

October let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cough. "Yeah, got that bit." He rubbed at his raw wrists a bit, managing a grateful smile when Squall pulled out some potion-soaked bandaging from his kit to wrap them with. "I take it Seifer's around here somewhere?"

"He's collecting the others," Squall agreed quietly. Once October's wrists were wrapped, he lifted his chin and met his eyes with a sharp gaze, searching for any signs of a head injury. He was pleased and more than a little relieved when October met his gaze without any apparent effort. "Think you can stand?"

"Let's find out," October replied. Squall helped him up and supported him for a moment while he regained his legs, then stood back to give October some space to work out a couple kinks, which he did with great care while saying, "I overheard a couple of the soldiers saying something about blowing up Garden."

"Already taken care of," Squall replied, shaking his head. "We blew up the missile base before coming here."

October shook his head in disbelief, then had to catch himself against the wall. "Never mind, then. I'm just going to stand here and look pathetic while you continue making magic in your usual fashion."

Squall snorted and handed over a potion before heading back towards the computer terminal and hacking it. By the time the others got to the torture room, October looked almost like a normal person again and Squall had figured out pretty much everything about the prison, including how to submerge it enough for them to be able to safely jump to the ground from the walkways above them.

"They were having a pity party when I got there," Seifer complained as he joined Squall by the terminal, kicking one of the dead technician's hands out of the way. Behind him, the others had all hurried to check on October, who was trying to assure them he was fine and comfort Quistis, who he'd started dating a few days before Seifer and Squall got sent on their trip down to Esthar.

"Cut them some slack," Squall replied as he started the submerge system, "they were just ordered to assassinate Matron, who has apparently gone insane, and they fucked up."

"Escape first, mope later," Seifer muttered.

"You're beginning to sound like me," Squall informed him, rolling his eyes and turning his attention to the other SeeDs. "Okay, kids, let's get out of here."

"Who're you calling a kid?" October demanded with a touch of good humour.

"Apologies," Squall replied, "Kids and invalid."

There was some strained laughter at that and everyone obediently fell in behind Squall when he took the lead up to the walkways, which were just starting to extend again, the prison having halted.

"We're jumping?" Irvine asked in concern. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"I locked the system so they can't move the prison again for another hour," Squall replied with a shrug. "And there's no way we'd make it downstairs before someone caught us and set out the alarm."

"Squally said 'jump', so we're jumping," Seifer told Irvine, pushing him towards the edge. "No time to be a chicken-wuss."

Squall snorted in amusement at the history behind that particular name – which no one but he and Seifer knew – and jumped over the edge. He landed a little bit harder than he'd expected, but it wasn't so bad as to cause any real damage. The others landed around him, Irvine letting out an exaggerated groan at the minor jarring, only to let out a yelp when Fujin kicked him and snapped, "BABY."

"We should all be able to fit in that thing August lent us," Seifer commented as they started for the outdoor lot they'd left the vehicle in. "They might have to squeeze a bit in the back, but I don't think October and Quisty would mind a little ass-on-lap."

Squall rolled his eyes. "We'll manage."

The military vehicle wasn't quite as big as some of the Garden vehicles they kept for large groups, but there was enough room in the back seats for the other five SeeDs with minimal squishing. There was some tension in the back of the vehicle as Squall drove them through the empty gate, but as the prison got smaller behind them, the tension was replaced by the same sense of self-pity that Seifer had noticed in the cell. He twitched at the urge to yell at them, but Squall shot him a warning look that said, quite plainly, 'Stay quiet.'

Just like in the memories of the Ghost, they parked the vehicle off to one side at the prison-use train station and stole the engine and first two cars that were sitting on the tracks. Squall had learned to handle a train many years ago during an undercover mission in Timber, so he took the controls and got them moving.

Once he felt it was safe to turn away from the controls, he looked at the gloomy group of five SeeDs – which Seifer was glaring wordlessly at – and stated, "You fucked up."

The group flinched and turned wounded eyes towards Squall. Seifer sort of whistled. "And you were telling _me_ to cut them slack."

Squall shot a silencing look at Seifer, then turned back to their friends. "I don't find fault with you, however, and you shouldn't bring blame down on yourselves. It was a shitty mission with little chance of success to begin with, and the dangers of you having succeeded far outweighed the consequences of your having failed."

The group who'd been rescued from D-District all sort of blinked at him a few times in disbelief before October requested, "Could you...explain that one, Squall? How would a success have been worse? If you and Seifer hadn't shown up when you did, we would still be stuck in that prison while missiles were being sent to take out Garden, killing everyone."

Squall sighed and rubbed at his scar, uncaring as make-up flaked off. "First off, taking out anyone as magically powerful as a full-fledged Sorceress takes more firepower and cunning than a single shot from a sniper, and dropping the gate on her gave her more than enough of a warning to protect herself. Having split into two teams cut your strength in half, especially when you reached her at separate times." He gave them a moment to consider that and nodded when understanding lightened the unseen weight on their shoulders.

"Assuming that a miracle occurred and you actually managed to take out the Sorceress," Squall continued, "killing her would only have caused her magic to jump to a new body. In a crowd that size, there were an infinite number of options, and unless the power chose Quis or Fuu, there would be no way for us to hunt the new Sorceress down until she wanted to be found."

"My being a Blue Witch meant there was a good chance it would have gone to me, though," Quistis pointed out.

"There are better Blue Witches than you out there, Quis," Seifer interrupted, "and there's always a chance one of them was in that crowd. There are also women with a greater compatibility with Sorceress magic than Blue Witches." He shook his head. "The point is, it was a shitty plan to begin with. Completely lose-lose."

"Then why even order it?" Raijin asked. "I mean, ya know, a Sorceress with that much power isn't a good thing, but there should have been a better way, right? A way to not have to kill her?" He slid his eyes towards Quistis and Irvine, who looked particularly uncomfortable. No one had said it yet, but the Sorceress' identity was hanging over their heads like a solemn promise of how far they had fallen to have aimed weapons at the woman who raised them without stopping to question their orders.

"Other than because Martine's a prick who can't stand to see a woman with any amount of power?" Seifer asked drily.

Squall sighed. "That is a far more complicated explanation that goes back to the creation of Garden and SeeD."

"The creation?" Raijin interrupted, brow furrowed in thought. "When we first met, you always used to say that Garden and SeeD had been created by Matron to raise fighters that would combat power-hungry Sorceresses, right?"

"Wait!" October jerked his head around to stare at Raijin. " _Edea_ created SeeD? But, then, why did she want to know what SeeD was for?" He turned to Squall, looking completely thrown for a loop. "That's what they kept asking me, 'What is SeeD?' 'What is SeeD for?' 'What is SeeD's mission?' "

Squall shrugged. "The idea for Garden and SeeD was Matron's, yes, and it became reality because Cid kept at it for her. Matron is aware of what SeeD is, but the Sorceress possessing her body, Ultimecia, isn't."

There was a moment of stunned silence, then everyone was talking over each other, demanding to know what Squall meant by 'possessed'.

Seifer rolled his eyes at the lot of them and moved to join Squall in front of the controls, which the younger teen had turned to look back at, ignoring the others. "How much are you going to tell them?" Seifer murmured in Squall's ear as he wrapped an arm around Squall's waist.

"Only as much as I need to," Squall replied quietly as he flipped a switch on the panel.

Seifer sighed, but didn't start another argument about how much their friends deserved to know; he was of the opinion that the others had every right to know exactly what they were up against and how things had gone for the Ghost, but Squall was determined to keep most of that to himself. It was probably the only thing they had real fights over – sometimes involving real weapons or a couple of days apart.

"QUIET!" Fujin shouted and there was a sudden silence behind Squall and Seifer. When they turned to look, Seifer retaining his possessive hold on Squall's waist, Fujin demanded, "EXPLAIN."

Squall cocked his head to one side, then explained, "There is – or 'will be', perhaps – a Sorceress in the future by the name of Ultimecia. She has a rather intense hatred of SeeD, likely due to our having been created to keep Sorceresses in check. She has access to a machine created by the Estharian scientist Dr Odine, which allows her to send her consciousness back in time and take over the body and mind of someone in her past. She has two goals right now: To destroy SeeD, and to find Sis so she can initiate something called 'Time Compression', which will twist all of time into a mess where none but she can exist."

October shook his head and cleared his throat. "Can we stop her?"

"Not in the present," Seifer replied. "With only her consciousness in the present, she can simply jump bodies if the one she's possessing dies. We believe she can only possess Sorceresses, although we also have reason to believe that she can cause a Sorceress' magic to... jump, I suppose, from a body which is dying. A newly possessed person should have the ability to fight off her control for some time, but when a new Sorceress accepts the magic, there is a moment where she is weak to Ultimecia's control, completely doing away with any chances to fight her off."

"So we'd have to... what? Travel to the future to get rid of her?" Irvine guessed, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "Can't we just have the SeeDs of the future get rid of her?"

"They've already failed," Squall replied drily. "And far worse than you all did in Deling, if that makes you feel any better."

"Oh, gee, Squall. _Thanks_ ," Irvine replied, shooting his friend an irritated look.

"If they've failed and we can't touch her in our present," October interrupted, "then how can we defeat her? And, please, don't tell me we're all screwed. If that's the case, I'd prefer you to have left me in D-District."

Seifer snorted. "Don't worry, Pretty Boy, we have no intention in letting Ultimecia destroy this world."

"If we are at the centre of Time Compression when it starts, we should be able to ride it to Ultimecia's present," Squall explained. "There's no guarantee, but that's all I've got on the idea front."

"So we need to find Sis?" Quistis asked, frowning in thought. "She should be with the White SeeDs, right?"

"There, or at Balamb Garden," Seifer agreed. At their odd looks, he shrugged and added, "She's been travelling with Matron, who surely showed some strange behaviour before she ran away and handed her body over to Ultimecia. It's possible Sis was moved to Balamb for her own safety; for all his pompous behaviour, Owens _does_ have a good head on his shoulders."

"Hm. Can we get that in writing?" Squall wondered. They'd run into the White SeeDs twice more since their first meeting – once during a stop in Balamb so Matron and Ellone could see everyone, the other when Seifer and Squall were on assignment in Dollet while their ship happened to be in dock – and Seifer seemed determined to continue baiting Beau Owens, which the captain would inevitably fall for and they'd get into an impressive argument that Squall and Matron would eventually be required to bring an end to before someone got hurt.

Seifer grinned. "No." Then he turned his head and blew in Squall's ear, dodging the retaliatory knife that Squall aimed at his head without removing his arm from Squall's waist.

"Finding Elle is only half the battle, though, ya know?" Raijin offered with a tired smile at Seifer's antics. "We'll have to find Matron, too."

"She'll be taking over Galbadia Garden right now," Squall announced, shaking his head. "We won't get back to Balamb for at least ten hours, yet, so why don't the rest of you get some sleep. Seifer and I are capable of ensuring we arrive in one piece."

"Are you sure?" Quistis asked. "I know Seifer's not good with tra–"

"Quis, if they say they'll be fine, they'll be fine," October interrupted, grabbing Quistis' arm and pulling her towards the attached car.

"You'll wake us if you need us?" Irvine asked as Fujin shoved Raijin after the eldest two SeeDs.

"We will," Seifer promised. Once Irvine had slipped into the other car, Seifer turned his attention to Squall, whose eyes had taken on a faintly worried gleam behind the flash of thoughts. "What is it?"

Squall slipped from his arm and returned to the train controls, tapping the panel a couple times. "Garden moves faster than a train," he murmured. "Depending on when Ultimecia got word about the missile base exploding and how paranoid she's feeling, she could be heading straight for Balamb. And unless NORG has completely changed, Garden will be in disarray right about now as half the campus is trying to find Cid, while the other half hides him."

"Fuck, I forgot that happened."

"I didn't." Squall stepped over to where he'd dropped their shared bag and started hunting through it for his small set of tools.

Seifer's expression darkened when he saw what Squall was pulling out and he snatched the tools. " _No_."

"Seifer, we need to get to Balamb before Galbadia Garden does," Squall pointed out calmly.

"I'm not disagreeing," Seifer replied coolly, "but you don't know a fucking _thing_ about locomotive motors, and if you accidentally break something, we will _lose time_. This isn't a boat motor that's half computerised, Squall; it's made entirely of little fidgety pieces that tend to stop if you hit them wrong, and there's no circuiting worked in that you can thread around the broken part to make the system think it can still go. You're not tinkering with our only transport."

Squall clenched his jaw. "And if Galbadia Garden gets there first?"

Seifer closed his eyes and took a deep breath before meeting the icy gaze of his lover. "Then they get there first and Garden either pulls its collective head out of its ass and bands together, or they're slaughtered. You can't save everyone, Squall."

"Dammit!" Squall twisted and threw a knife at the far wall with enough force to shatter the blade.

Seifer dropped the tool set back in their bag as he dropped to his knees next to Squall. "I know," he said, lightly touching the side of Squall's face in silent invitation.

Squall immediately pressed forwards, leaning against Seifer's chest and taking a deep breath. He _hated_ feeling helpless. _'What good are these memories if I can't protect my home?'_

Seifer closed his eyes for a long moment, arms wrapped around Squall, as if he could protect him from all the things that were coming. "At least Rinoa's not here?" he murmured.

Squall let out a choked laugh and shoved against Seifer's chest with his hands to signal that he wanted to be let go. "Thank Hyne for small favours." He ran a hand though his hair and cast a glance back towards the tool kit. Seifer was preparing to get between his lover and the tools when Squall shook his head and rose to his feet. "Come on, let's give you a quick lesson about driving this thing so I can take a nap."

"And who said you're getting the first nap?" Seifer demanded as he rose to his own feet.

Squall raised an eyebrow at him. "I did."

Seifer gave a slow nod. "Uh-huh. And I care because?"

"You want to continue sleeping in my room," Squall retorted. "Get over here."

Seifer chuckled and joined Squall at the controls, arms wrapped around the slighter teen's waist as Squall gave him a quick explanation for everything. When he was done, Squall tried slipping out of Seifer's arms, but the blond wasn't having it. "Nope, not yet, Squally. You haven't given me a kiss good night."

"You're an ass," Squall informed him, but rested his head back against Seifer's shoulder and turned it to meet Seifer's lips when the taller teen leaned down to meet him. After a brief brush, Squall added, "And it's not night."

"Oh, shut up," Seifer muttered, shifting Squall so he could get a bit more force behind the kiss and silence the brunet. He swore he felt Squall smiling against his lips for just a moment before he invaded and teased Squall's tongue into a minor spar. Which Squall won, like usual.

"Good night," Squall breathed against Seifer's lips as he drew away from the embrace.

Seifer sighed. "When am I waking you?"

"Four hours," Squall said with certainty. "I don't trust you to make that switch in Timber."

Seifer rolled his eyes, but waved Squall away. Honestly, he wasn't too certain about that switch in Timber, himself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the start of the Gaia Online Hallowe'en event fell in the middle of this chapter. Super distracting. If there's anything odd about the flow, it's because I spent two days killing wolves and humans and then chatting with other folks in the forums. (I only ever chat in the forums during events, really. Hm.)


	14. Crimson Sky

"What. The. _Fuck_?" October snapped as they stepped into Garden and found it to be a mess of chaos. He grabbed a nearby cadet by the back of her uniform and demanded, "Explain yourself!"

The girl blinked at him, then shouted back, "You're with Cid, aren't you? All you SeeDs are!" and started struggling to get free.

October shook the girl and snapped, "You little–"

"October, let her go," Quistis soothed, gently prying her boyfriend's fingers out of the girl's uniform. "We're not killing cadets."

A member of the faculty appeared then, and called out a T-Rexaur to attack them, shouting, "Supporters of Cid must be dealt with!"

"Seifer, get the faculty member for me?" Squall requested as he casually summoned Diablos to take out the T-Rexaur. Behind him, the other SeeDs and the cadet were just sort of staring at the two Rank As and their lack of concern over a _T-Rexaur_ being summoned on them by a member of the faculty.

"Not human," Irvine muttered, shaking his head.

Seifer grabbed the fleeing faculty and slammed him against the nearest wall, just close enough to Diablos and the T-Rexaur that they could feel the back-draft of his Dark Messenger attack. "That must have hurt," Seifer said conversationally to the man in his hold. "I don't suppose you'd like to have it cast on you?"

"We're not killing anyone in Garden," Squall intoned as he moved to stand at his lover's elbow, the others all following with mildly disturbed looks at where Diablos was sitting atop the dead T-Rexaur like a victorious king. October still had a loose grip on the uniform of the cadet he'd stopped, but the girl seemed to have changed her mind about standing against the seven SeeDs and was content to stay out of Squall and Seifer's direct line of sight, half-huddling behind the eldest of the SeeDs.

Seifer sighed a bit, then shrugged. "Ah well." He flashed an insane little smile at his prey and requested, "In as few words as you can – and with as little praising of NORG as possible – explain what the fuck is going on here."

The faculty member stared at the SeeD for a moment, then shouted, "I'll see your ranks lowered for this! Let go of me!"

Squall rubbed at his scar. "On second thought... Diablos?"

"I'll talk!" the faculty member shouted, starting to sweat as the demonic GF fluttered over to stand behind Squall. "We got word about the attack on the Sorceress and Garden Master NORG immediately said the only way to soothe her anger was to give her Cid and the SeeDs responsible. She already had the SeeDs, so we just had to send her Cid. But the SeeDs and students hid Cid and refused to let us near him. We just want to turn him over and soothe the Sorceress."

"See, that wasn't so hard," Seifer said pleasantly as he let the faculty member's robe go.

Squall waved Diablos away and his GF faded from sight. "You're all idiots," he informed the faculty before turning to the other SeeDs behind him. "Seifer, take Quis and October downstairs and inform NORG why he's an idiot."

"My _pleasure_ ," Seifer said with a touch of gleeful violence in his voice. "Do I get to kill him if he doesn't behave?"

Squall shrugged. "I don't care."

The faculty member let out an 'eep' from behind them, cowering back when Squall pinned him with a cold glare.

"What about the rest of us and the kid, ya know?" Raijin asked.

Squall sighed. "Rai, Fuu, Irvy, take the cadet and hunt down the others, then see about breaking these fights up. Use force if necessary, but try not to kill any of them."

"And yourself?" Irvine asked as Seifer led his team towards the lift.

Squall rolled his eyes. "I'll be going to see Cid."

"But he's in hiding!" the cadet called out from Raijin's elbow, having switched to the big teen when October left. When Squall turned icy grey-blue eyes on her, she squeaked and hid behind the large SeeD.

"Idiots," Squall muttered before spinning and stalking towards the lift.

As it had been for the Ghost, Cid was hiding in his office. His whole face lit up when he saw Squall and he sidled around his desk. "Oh, thank Hyne! Did you find those SeeDs?"

Squall pinned his quasi-uncle with an unimpressed stare. "No. We decided to go by Deling City instead when our boat's screen picked up an announcement about Matron becoming an ambassador to President Deling."

Cid paused. "Ah..." He shuffled back toward his desk chair and dropped into it, looking tired.

"And then, we found out about the assassination attempt and failure," Squall continued, moving forward to lean against the front of the desk and tower over the man. "Matron had every intention of sending missiles both here and toward Trabia Garden, did you know? Oh, but don't worry," he said as panic lid Cid's eyes, "Seifer and I took out the Missile Base before they could fire. And then we rescued October's party from D-District."

"Oh..." Cid breathed.

Squall pushed back from the front of the desk. "The others are dealing with NORG and the fighting downstairs, but that doesn't change the fact that we've got a violent Sorceress coming after us with an intense hatred for SeeD. Chances are high that she's got Galbadia Garden moving already and it's heading here, so I would suggest we move Balamb Garden as soon as possible."

"I don't know how," Cid admitted, though he pulled out the card to the lower levels. "I know about where the access panel is, but..."

"I am more than capable of figuring out some Centran technology," Squall interrupted, holding out his hand for the card, which was handed over. "Is Sis in Garden right now?"

"Elle? Yes, I believe so. Why?"

"We'll need her to face Ultimecia," Squall replied before stalking from the office.

"Ultimecia?" Cid repeated, confused, as the door fell shut behind the brunet SeeD.

Squall made his way down to B1, intending to check on Seifer's group first, especially since there was a chance of the lift breaking on the way down to the controls again, and Squall didn't want to leave them stranded. When he arrived, he found his lover and two friends hanging out at the bottom of the steps, cleaning off their weapons. "I take it NORG was as uncooperative as ever," he commented.

"No need to sound so surprised, Squally," Seifer replied as he sheathed Hyperion. "Did Cid give you the key card?"

"What key card?" October demanded as Squall nodded.

"This one," Squall replied, holding it up. "Garden was built out of one of the old Centran shelters, so it can fly, once we get the system up and running. Coming?"

"Garden can _fly_?" Quistis breathed as they all piled into the lift.

"All of the Gardens can," Seifer agreed. "Including Galbadia, which is what Ultimecia's making as her base. Being caught dead in the water – so to speak – while our lovely Sorceress bears down on us would _not_ be fun, however, so let's get moving."

Squall had already run the card and they were on their way down. He wasn't surprised when the lift jerked to a sudden stop and immediately leaned down to pull up the hatch on the floor while October and Quistis frowned towards the controls. "Down here. Seifer, you first, then October and Quis. I'll bring up the rear."

With Seifer helping the others through the opening, they all managed to get into the passage before the lift even gave a warning shudder.

"That could have been bad," October commented tightly as they watched the box go sliding past the passage entrance.

"Hm," Squall replied agreeably as Seifer pulled the hatch open to the oil stratum.

"October, are you okay?" Seifer asked with a frown as Squall jumped down the hole. The older SeeD was clenching his hands and shaking slightly.

Quistis immediately turned to him. "October, hun?"

October shook his head. "I'll be fine," he promised before pressing past both of them and jumping down to join Squall.

Squall gave the older man a quick look-over, then turned to look down the tunnel, commenting, "Let me know if you need to rest."

October scowled. "I'm not–"

"Don't lie to me," Squall ordered quietly as the other two joined them, remembering how weak and shaky the Ghost had been after his own torture at D-District; ladders, in particular, were hard, though the threat of missiles had kept him going past his limits. They didn't have quite the same time limit here, so he was willing to wait if October needed a break. "Let me know when you need to rest. Come on." Then he started out again, leading the way through the tunnel.

October followed after the teen with a dark expression. Quistis watched her boyfriend with a worried frown, but didn't know what to say to him, what words would make his unusual weakness better.

Seifer was the one who commented, "He's not calling you weak, Pretty Boy, just telling you that he's aware that you're not in top shape. You losing your grip on a ladder and falling would be far more troublesome than us taking a break for five minutes or so."

October let out an irritated sound, but he admitted that Seifer had a point. And he _knew_ that Squall was just looking out for him in his usual bland fashion, but it still stung that _he_ could end up holding them up.

It wasn't the first time Squall had come down to the controls; during the year before he made SeeD, he'd found a small passage hidden out in the quad, behind some bushes, that let him down into the lowest levels of Garden. The passage was quite small, so he wasn't certain he'd be able to make it through now, but he'd managed fine as a kid and had travelled down here during those rare few times that Seifer wasn't at his side like a second shadow.

The passage had bypassed the large doors opened by valve, so they still had to struggle with that, but he'd been through the large room with the rusty ladder when he was younger and lighter and hit the button then. As a consequence, none of them had to climb up and chance falling. They did stop to take a break there, however, since Squall knew there were Oilboyles past another ladder, and October could use the break.

"You act like you've been down here before," October said as they relaxed next to the open gate.

"I have," Squall agreed. "I found a passage down here as a cadet."

"And you came down here on your _own_?" Quistis demanded. "Squall!"

Seifer snorted, having already heard about the old passage and rolled his eyes at his best friend for using it alone. "Oh, lay off, Quis. When he found the damn thing, he could have _already_ been a SeeD, if it weren't for the age-limit. He was fine on his own."

"But what if you'd fallen?" Quistis demanded, giving the younger SeeD a displeased look. "No one would have even known where you were! Unless you told Seifer..." She turned to glance at the blond.

Seifer shook his head. "Squally didn't tell me about his hide-out until after we became SeeDs."

"I was careful," Squall muttered, feeling rather like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Let it go, Quis," October ordered before Quistis could continue berating the younger SeeD. "Maybe no _human_ would have been okay on their own, but we all know Squall's not human, anyway..."

Squall tossed an irritated look at Seifer. "This is your fault."

Seifer grinned and shrugged. "Come on, Squally. Embrace your lack of humanity!"

Squall's eyes narrowed. "I'm not human?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

Seifer's grin faltered. "Erm... I'm not sure I know the answer to that question?"

Squall stared at him for a long moment while Quistis covered a giggle and October shook his head at the two.

Seifer began to sweat a bit under Squall's glare and he blurted, "You're human!"

"Hm." Squall climbed to his feet and stretched slightly. "Insinuate otherwise again, and you're sleeping in your own room," he threatened in an even tone.

"Aw, come on, Squally! It's just a bit of fun!"

Squall nodded. "So is me changing my door codes." Quistis and October laughed while Seifer put on a dramatic wounded look. "Come on."

"He doesn't love me," Seifer said to Quistis and October as they all climbed to their feet.

"You're an idiot," Quistis informed her fellow blond.

Squall rolled his eyes at the lot of them and started down the ladder to the next level. He threw the lever there to open the far doors while the others joined him, all grinning at some joke or another that Squall was kind of glad to have missed. Once they were all down, he led them towards the Garden controls, the four of them dispatching the two Oilboyles before the monsters could do much more than jump out at them.

At the controls, they all stopped and took a moment to stare at the array of incomprehensible levers and switches.

"You _sure_ you can make this thing work?" October asked, looking more than a little uncertain. "I know you're a genius and all, but..."

"I'm not a genius," Squall muttered as he took a moment to look over the controls. He'd come down to view them a couple of times after making SeeD, relating them to the controls of other vessels he'd learned the controls of over the years. Trains probably had the closest pattern, but there were a couple of older boats that had similar layouts, which he'd taken his time to learn and memorise. "And, yes, I can make this work," he added as he flipped the power switch and started the feedback loop that would get the oil running through the old systems.

From what Squall had learned over the years of studying the Garden and his two trips down to the Centran Ruins, the Centrans had created a way to rejuvenate natural resources – 'fossil fuels', the Estharians called them – that was completely beyond anything in the world now. Sure, they still used things like petrol in their motor car and coal in their trains, but there was no system in place to constantly re-use the same supply. Squall had tried, more than once, to figure out _how_ the old Centran systems worked, but he couldn't understand half of it, let alone hope to copy and simplify it for use in cars or boats.

Maybe the Estharians could figure it out. Assuming they could get them to open their borders. And get rid of Adel.

The engines roared to life above them and the platform jerked under their feet, starting up. Quistis and October let out surprised sounds and grabbed for each other at the sudden motion, but Seifer and Squall had already been balanced against it.

Once they were steadily moving up through the floors of Garden – which was disturbing enough without the eldest two SeeDs making horrified sounds every time they approached a ceiling – Seifer stepped up next to Squall at the controls, looking them over with only slightly less confusion than the Ghost had felt upon first discovering them. "Help me out here," he said to his lover, resisting the urge to wrap an arm around Squall's waist; they'd hid their relationship from Cid and the faculty for two years, and this was _not_ the time to break that pattern.

Squall's eyes flickered towards him for a moment before he murmured, "What do you remember about the train?"

Seifer took a moment to decode that, then gazed over the controls again, understanding lighting his eyes. "Huh. You know, with them laying out, instead of on a wall..."

"I know," Squall replied as they broke through the floor of the Headmaster's office and the platform took its place above the large desk. "There's some similarities to the A-Zech series of boats, as well, but these controls are definitely more like a train."

Seifer could see the A-Zech layout in the array in front of him, now that Squall had mentioned it, and he nodded. "How many SeeDs can drive a train?" he wondered, only half joking.

Squall shrugged. "Haven't been keeping track. Ask Cid," he said as he flipped a couple of switches to settle them back down into place, the activation of the system having levitated them above their original position. They hardly needed to be in the air at the moment, though he didn't turn off the system. Just in case.

As if summoned by his name, the lift to the platform whirred and Cid stepped off to join them, staring around in awe. "This is fantastic!"

Squall rolled his eyes, but held his tongue to let Seifer ask, "Cid, how many SeeDs can control a train, do you know?"

"A...train...?" Cid repeated, brow wrinkled in confusion. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"These controls are most similar to a train," Seifer replied, "and unless you _want_ to keep Squall and myself trapped up here as our only pilots, we're going to need someone else."

Panic flickered in Cid's eyes and he looked towards Squall. "But I need you leading everyone, not piloting! I'll find someone!" he promised before bustling off.

"I like how he gave you the chance to turn him down," Seifer muttered to his lover while October and Quistis looked after the retreating Headmaster with faint frowns.

"I never expected to have a choice in the matter," Squall murmured in reply, turning back towards the view of the ocean, eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun. "I'm more qualified than the Ghost ever was."

"True," Seifer agreed, glancing over his shoulder in the direction Squall was looking. "Any sign of her?"

"Not yet."

"What now?" October asked as he and Quistis joined the other two SeeDs at the console. He spared the panel a blank look, almost as if staring at it would impart some knowledge about how to work it. It didn't, of course.

"We wait for Galbadia Garden to show up," Seifer announced, turning his attention back to the elder two while Squall continued staring into the distance. "We should probably see about evacuating the junior classmen, though. And ask about Sis?"

"Cid said she's here," Squall murmured. "October, could you check the library for her?"

October blinked up from the controls and nodded. "Yeah, sure. You think she'll be there?"

"She usually is," Squall agreed, looking away from the sea as October turned to leave. "Quis, could you hunt down the others and see about evacuating the junior classmen? Don't let them out of the building, yet, but have them collect their essentials and gather in the main hall. We'll move Garden next to Balamb Town and let them off there. Also, send Xu and Zell up?"

Quistis nodded. "Sure thing." She turned and followed October down the lift.

"What do you want me doing?" Seifer asked quietly, looking out towards the distance while Squall took the moment to rest his eyes.

Squall allowed a tired smile, more comforted than Seifer would know that his best friend was there to pick up any slack. "Nothing, for now. Help me watch for Ultimecia, I suppose."

Seifer reached a hand over and smoothed it through Squall's hair, almost without looking. "We're going to have to clash with them if we want aboard."

"I know." Squall leaned into the hand, closing his eyes. "At least I'm not fighting against you."

Seifer smiled at that, because Squall had often complained about how good of a strategist he was when he had the time and resources to plan for an attack. "That's true. However, we don't know _who_ she's got over there in my stead; Rai said he didn't recognise her Knight."

Squall nodded. "I know. I'm not too worried, though."

Seifer snorted. "You're putting too much trust in my plans, Squally."

"Then they'd better be unbeatable," Squall replied, a note of teasing in his voice.

Seifer snorted again, but he, honestly, wasn't all that worried. He'd spent the past year working on his ideas for their offence in this battle, occasionally bouncing ideas off Squall and basically planning like he was going to be fighting against himself.

When the lift whirred again, it was Zell and Xu who stepped off, faces painted with awe. "Holy fuck," Zell offered. "This is _awesome_."

"So glad you approve, Chicken-Head," Seifer retorted, earning him a heated glare from Zell and a faintly disgusted look from Xu.

Squall sighed and turned to take over the watch. "Play nice," he ordered his lover.

Seifer flashed him a grin, then turned sharp eyes on their two friends. "How much did the others tell you?" he asked in the even tone he'd copied from Squall for when he was being particularly serious about something.

Zell and Xu both straightened, catching the heavy feeling in the air and reacting as their training dictated to a request from a higher ranked SeeD. "A Sorceress from the future has taken over Galbadia Garden, using Matron's body as her physical representation in this time," Zell reported, eyes darkening at the thought that _anyone_ would think to use their quasi-mother in such a way. "There were attempts to send missiles towards Balamb and Trabia Gardens, but the Galbadian Missile Base has since been destroyed. Without that option, there is all chance that the Sorceress will be bringing Galbadia Garden here, to fight us Garden-to-Garden."

"Quis, Fuu, Rai, and Roxy are all assisting in gathering and organising the junior classmen," Xu continued, expression professional in spite of the glimmer of very real fear in her eyes. "Irvy and Selph are helping to organise the members of staff that would only get in the way, preparing them to evacuate with the junior classmen. We saw October heading towards the Infirmary with Elle when we were on our way up here, saying something about organising the healing staff there."

Seifer nodded. "Good. Judging by the layout of Garden, the most probable points of access for Galbadian forces will be the front gates, the quad, the garage, the cafeteria, and the second floor classrooms. Squall assures me we can close off all access to the garage and cafeteria, as well as lower barriers over the windows on the second floor, so those shouldn't be a problem." Squall nodded behind him, making a quiet noise of affirmation. "That leaves the front gate and the quad.

"Xu, you'll be in charge of the quad. Expect motorbikes and paratroopers for the most part, so your best idea will be to station your people near the entrance and block them there. I'll be sending all our best magical operatives to assist you there, as well as the group who specialises in guns and bows, since you'll probably be best fighting at a distance. Once they're done with their current missions, Irvy and Fuu will be joining you."

Xu nodded. "We'll keep them out of the main hub at all costs."

Seifer turned to Zell. "Zell, you'll be taking charge of the front gate, with Quis and Rai. I'll be sending you all the sabers and other close-range fighters, as well as a couple indirect magical operatives for support. For the most part, you should be facing Galbadia forces on foot, although you might get a couple with long-range weaponry and magic, so be on your guard."

"You've got it," Zell replied, grim determination making his usually bright eyes darken further.

"With the intercom down," Squall said from his position as look-out, "you're going to have to round up your people yourselves, so I suggest you get to it."

Seifer grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that. If one of you happen across Doc K, could you ask her to come up? We need to discuss how to position the healers and fire brigade."

"You got it," Zell repeated and both he and Xu shot off salutes before turning and leaving to hunt down their groups and start setting up for the coming battle.

"They'll be fine," Seifer murmured, uncertain if he was reassuring himself or Squall, who stood tense over the controls.

"I know," Squall replied, not relaxing. "We forgot to tell them we would be going over once Galbadia Garden is sufficiently cornered."

"They'll figure it out," Seifer said, shaking his head. "And, if not, the comm should, I hope, be up before Ultimecia gets here."

"Fighting without the comm is going to be nothing but mayhem," Squall agreed. "Once Cid finds a replacement pilot, I'll see if I can't trick the damn thing into ignoring whatever wires the idiots cut."

Seifer grinned at that. "Computer genius."

Squall snorted. " _That_ title I will accept."

"I know." Seifer brushed a hand over the back of Squall's neck and turned his attention to the horizon. "Can you start lowering the walls over the second-floor windows now? And what about the balconies in the Training Centre and at the far end of the second floor?"

Squall turned his attention to the controls, casting back to the drawn maps he'd made of the control panel in the past, deciphering the crisscrossing wires and Centran text under the lines of buttons on the far left of the console. "I can lock them, but I don't want to do that if anyone's out there right now."

"Wait for the balconies, then," Seifer decided. "The windows, though..."

Squall nodded and started the system that would lock down the second floor. The whole building had once been a movable shelter, meant to withstand any monster attack, but when it had been turned into a Garden, they'd added in windows and opened the main hub for a more welcoming feeling. Thankfully, someone on the original building staff had thought to add a system to return the building to a shelter, which meant bringing steel plates down over all the windows and blocking off any entrances and exits. The passages between the outer parts of the building had closed over when the engines started up, but the windows and passages had remained open, having not been a part of the original design.

"We'll wait to close off the garage, balconies, and cafeteria until the intercom is back up," Squall decided as steel plating started falling closed over all the windows in Garden.

The lift whirred again, announcing the arrival of Cid and a couple of cadets. "These two cadets are familiar with trains," the Headmaster offered his two best SeeDs. "Mr Flynn Paz–" he motioned to the older cadet, who wielded a curved blade, "–has a father who is a train conductor. Miss Garcia Bravo–" Cid motioned to the shy junior cadet half-hidden behind her senior, "–is originally from Timber and grew up around trains."

Squall looked the two over – taking in Bravo's nervous mannerisms and Paz's self-assuredness – and mentally whimpered at the lack of options. Aloud, he asked, "Have either of you driven a train before?"

"Once," the boy announced, looking quite smug. "My father let me take the controls on a trip from Dollet to Timber."

The girl inched behind her senior a bit more when Squall's sharp grey-blue gaze turned to her. "A few times," she replied in a quiet, though clear, voice. "We all learned to run the trains. Just in case."

Squall grunted at that and motioned them both forward. "Fine. Seifer, move a bit." Once the blond was out of the way and the two kids had joined him at the console, Squall pointed to a switch and asked, "Your best guesses at what this does."

Ten minutes of quizzing showed that Bravo was clearly the more knowledgeable about the system, but Paz had better reach and reflexes.

"Can you work together?" Squall asked, tuning out the quiet murmurs from Seifer and Kadowaki behind them and Cid's faint humming as he managed the look-out position.

"Work...together?" Paz replied, a look of disgust in his eyes. "Why would _I_ want to work with a _kid_?"

"Because if you don't work with her, you're going to die," Seifer snapped as Kadowaki hurried back down the lift. "Not only will _you_ die, but so will every other person in this Garden. Unless you want two hundred some-odd deaths on your conscience, you'll be listening to Cadet Bravo's instructions when she tells you what buttons to hit."

Paz glowered at the tall SeeD for only a moment before Seifer narrowed cold green eyes at him. Paz quickly looked away, cowed by the warning in those eyes. "I understand, SeeD Almasy."

Squall turned to Bravo, leaving the boy to his lover. "And you, Cadet Bravo? Can you give directions?"

The girl slumped a bit, eyes watering. "I don't know," she whispered.

Squall rubbed at his scar before kneeling in front of the girl, making him a good head shorter than her, rather than sixty centimetres taller. "Cad– Garcia," he said, gentling his voice and meeting her upset eyes with his own calm gaze, "this isn't a class test or a day with your friends back in Timber, playing at being in charge as you flee make-believe soldiers. This is the real deal, and lives are at stake. I _need_ you here, giving orders to Cadet Paz, so I can be downstairs, keeping our enemies out. Can I trust you up here, or do you need to be evacuated with the other junior classmen?"

Bravo looked down at her hands, clutched in her skirt, then towards the lift, eyes distant. After a moment, her eyes hardened and she looked back at Squall. "I'm Garden," she said, voice quiet, but determined. "I won't leave my post."

Squall nodded and rose to his feet. "Good." He looked between the two cadets, took in their determined expressions, and nodded. "As soon as I get the intercom back up, we'll be moving towards Balamb Town to evacuate the non-combatants. Use this time to familiarise yourselves with the controls and work out a system for giving directions in the quickest manner that you can. Understood?"

Both cadets saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Squall looked towards Seifer. "Find me a couple of look-outs? We can't leave Cid over there all afternoon."

"More the pity," Seifer replied with a smirk shot towards the Headmaster.

Squall rolled his eyes and waved his lover on before raising his voice to call, "Cid?"

"Yes, Squall?"

"Seifer's going to find someone to take your place while I go fix the intercom. Will you be okay on your own?"

Cid smiled into the distance, eyes darting back and forth over the bright stretch of sea. "I should be fine for another twenty minutes or so. But I'd appreciate a sandwich or something, assuming the cafeteria hasn't been shut down completely."

Squall shrugged. "I'll see what I can do," he replied as he started towards the lift, which had returned to the upper floor after Seifer had stepped off in the office below.

"Oh, and Squall?"

"Cid?"

The Headmaster chanced a glance over his shoulder, something dark, yet helplessly lost in his eyes. "We should talk."

Squall nodded. "If we get the chance before Galbadia Garden gets here," he promised before stepping onto the lift and directing it down. _'Now, I just have to decide how much to tell him,'_ he thought to himself as he turned his attention to the intercom system.

 _"Perhaps the truth,"_ Shiva suggested drily. _"He knows of the Ghost and who he was, so he will not find things completely impossible. And he may relax knowing you have knowledge of what is to happen. The knowledge that his wife will survive this may help him retain his sense in this coming battle, rather than sending him fleeing to the sidelines."_

 _'You sound like Seifer, always trying to get me to tell people about the memories,'_ Squall complained.

 _"I agree with the Fire Child,"_ Shiva returned. _"Hyne help me, but he makes a good point about sharing this with your friends. All the same, I understand your wish to keep it to yourself. Your friends already trust you, will never question your odd knowledge of things, but Cid might. And you don't need him as your enemy. Is that not the very reason you've kept him in the dark about your relationship with the Fire Child?"_

Squall sighed and gave the small computer screen in front of him a disgruntled look, as if it had wronged him – though, really, getting the intercom back online would be child's play, once the feedback loop finished reporting which wires were cut. _'I know. I'll tell him.'_

Shiva settled back, pleased.

The computer screen lit with the schematics, cut lines coloured red. Squall shook his head at the damage, then set about working around the plethora of broken connections. Child's play, yes, but tedious all the same.


	15. Heroes Waiting

 

"I expected her to be here by now," Squall murmured to his lover as they leaned against one of the few uncovered windows on the third floor. Non-combatants had been dropped at Balamb Town, and there were three more cadets up on the bridge to trade off as lookouts. Squall and Seifer had met back up in one of the small board rooms that faced towards where they figured Galbadia Garden would be coming from, waiting for their enemy to show. And for Cid to finish his last-minute staff meeting with a group of slightly panicked faculty members who hadn't been willing to vacate the building.

"So did I," Seifer admitted, taking a moment to rest his eyes while Squall watched the ocean. They didn't really need to be playing lookout, but with everything else prepared, there wasn't much else they _could_ do, especially with how on edge they were. "Clearly, Ultimecia doesn't keep to sensible schedules."

Squall shrugged, eyes flickering towards the door of the room as it pressed open. "We don't, really, know how long it will take her to get Galbadia Garden off the ground," he pointed out before turning his attention towards the newcomer. "Cid. The chickens finally shut up?"

Cid gave the two young men a tired smile and fell into one of the chairs around the table that they'd been ignoring. "They're content to hide out in the dorms, for now. They're still refusing to disembark, however." He shook his head. "I thought you found lookouts."

"I did," Seifer agreed, "but we can't just sit around, twiddling our thumbs. At least this way we feel like we're _doing_ something."

"I hate waiting," Squall muttered, rubbing at his scar. Considering he'd been waiting most of his life for this moment, he was ready for everything to just be _done_.

Cid considered the teens for a long moment, taking in the strained lines around their eyes and the edge to their postures. "Tell me about this Sorceress. You called her Ultimecia?" He'd overheard a portion of the explanation Squall and Seifer must have given to October's team while he'd been hunting down pilots, so he had some clue as to who the brunet had been referring to in his office, but he had no idea how Squall would have reached such a conclusion. Especially since he'd been at sea since before Edea would have been possessed.

Seifer glanced questioningly towards Squall, silently asking how much he planned to explain, and the brunet let out a sigh, looking far older than his seventeen years. "You know about the man who visited the orphanage?" he said quietly, ignoring the startled sound Seifer made and the sharpness in Cid's eyes. "The one who told Matron about Garden and SeeD?"

"I know of him," Cid agreed tightly. Thinking about that young man made him consider the teen at the window and he was a little surprised to realise that he recognised the new jacket Squall was wearing from Edea's description of that visitor. This Squall had never bothered with such flashy dress, his missions often requiring something more subtle, and Cid wondered where the teen had found the jacket, why he'd even bothered to get it.

Squall considered him for a moment, then said, "That was me. Will _be_ me. He lived this war, and I remember his life."

Cid drew in a sharp breath. "You–"

"I don't know why, or how," Squall continued, interrupting Cid's attempt to speak, "but over the year following his visit, I remembered his life. All his training, all his knowledge of SeeD and Garden and what was going to happen. I don't always know specifics – I gave a lot to Shiva when I first got her – but I know the general way the world was supposed to go. The way this war would have gone. Trabia levelled, Balamb dodging a missile strike by the skin of our teeth, an epic battle over the orphanage between us and Galbadia..."

Squall took a deep breath, turning away from the terrible sadness in Cid's eyes at the knowledge of the burden he'd borne. "The Sorceress who bequeathed her powers upon Matron back then was a Sorceress from the future called Ultimecia. Dr Odine of Esthar had created a machine that replicated Sis' ability to send a consciousness into the past, and she's using it to enact Time Compression, which will allow her to have a world all of her own, where she rules as a sort of god. But she can't go far enough back, so she needs Sis.

"We can't reach her while she's possessing people in our present; killing the body only leaves her to take the control of another. The only way to kill her would be to ride Time Compression to reach her in the world she's creating and face her there. It has its own dangers, but it's the only way we could figure out to take her out, and leaving her to destroy the world was never an option."

Cid shook his head. "If you'd only said something–"

"To what end?" Squall demanded, turning to glare at the Headmaster. "You find a GF for a five-year-old to block my memories? I go back to being some reticent kid who refused to form attachments to other people in fear of getting hurt again?" He scoffed. "No. I _like_ who I am, Cid! I have _friends_ and a _family_. The Ghost – the other Squall – was always lonely, always shunning the helping hands of others, thinking he was better off relying only on himself. I don't want to be like him! I _never_ wanted to be like him!"

"Squall," Seifer called, grabbing his best friend's shoulder. "He gets it."

Cid _did_ get it. He remembered watching the young Squall slowly shutting himself away when Ellone left, remembered Edea's happy news about Squall reaching out and insisting they take a photo so they'd always remember each other. He remembered a thought he'd had, once, when the two young men were still cadets, that Squall and Seifer had only got so far because they'd always had each other, that they'd never have managed as well if they'd been apart. They would have both been but half the men they were now, without each other.

 _'And yet, to suffer those memories as a child... The life of a SeeD is no storybook, no tale for a boy of almost five,'_ Cid thought.

"What's done is done," Seifer interrupted, shaking his head and soothing a hand down Squall's back. "There's no changing the past, only facing this future. Cid, you're no fighter or tactician, but we could use your help in this fight none-the-less. Are you willing to help, knowing that Matron might get hurt?"

Cid jerked at that, too distracted by Squall's long-held secret to have worried over the fact that they would soon be going into battle against his wife. He felt sick to his stomach for a long moment, the urge to flee after his faculty and hide under the covers of his bed too strong to put into words. But then he looked up at the two young men silhouetted against the endless ocean and sky, saw the determination in their eyes to see this through. _'Squall has known since he was five that he would one day be facing Edea in battle, yet he kept on. And, judging by Seifer's lack of surprise, I'd say he had a pretty good idea of what was coming. If anyone can move this battle in such a way to keep Edea alive, it's these two; I couldn't protect them as children from the darkness of this life, but maybe I can ease their way now.'_

"Where do you want me?" he asked, heart in his throat.

Relief flashed in eyes of green and grey-blue before they were calm and ready to direct once again. "The comm is sketchy near the front gates because of the cut wires, and Zell can only keep up with so much," Seifer explained. "I know it's a little close to the fighting, but if you could stand back by the line of planters and help direct the wounded or shout warnings about changes in orders to Zell, that frees up another pair of hands that could be wielding a weapon."

Cid took a breath, fought against the raging beast of fear in his chest – he hadn't been a soldier in _decades_ , and even then, he'd been a poor one – and inclined his head. "I can do that," he agreed.

Seifer pushed away from the window. "Excellent. Let's get you set up down there, then."

Cid stood from his chair and spared a glance for Squall, who had turned his eyes back towards the horizon. "I..." His voice caught and he took a moment to cough while the two teens with world-weary eyes looked at him in question. "I wish I could have protected you, back then."

Squall shrugged, expression blank. "I don't," he replied before turning back to the window.

Seifer gently directed his quasi-uncle from the board room, shaking his head at Squall's blunt statement. On the stairs down – the lift was still wrecked in the lowest levels – he offered, "That other life is so much a part of Squall now that taking it away would be like amputating his arm." He smiled a bit grimly when Cid looked back at him with pain in his eyes. "Don't take his words the wrong way, Cid. He knows you care about him, but this is his life – _our_ life – and for all its faults, all of its pain and darkest moments, we wouldn't give it up for anything. Not even a few extra years of peace and innocence."

Cid looked away, hurt. "It's the duty of adults to protect children," he insisted. "If there was anything I could have done to ease your pain–"

"Squall received the memories of a seventeen year old version of himself," Seifer interrupted, a note of impatience in his voice. "He hasn't considered himself a child since he realised what the memories were, and he's lived his life as if he was still the age of that other Squall, just adding on the years. Where everyone else saw a prodigy, he saw an adult in a child's body. He never even _considered_ asking for assistance or protection of any kind, already knowing how to take care of himself."

" _You_ could have come to me," Cid pointed out, looking up at the blond as they started down the last flight of steps.

Seifer shook his head. "By the time Squall told me anything, we were both already SeeDs. And, honestly, there wasn't much anyone could have done for us at that point." He shrugged and admitted, "I never really saw the memories as a burden, not once Squall was willing to stop carrying their weight all on his own. An explanation for his skills and knowledge, sure, but not something that telling an adult could fix." He snorted. "Honestly, I'm not sure _Squall_ thought of them as a burden until he'd shared them and realised how much easier life was knowing someone else knew his secret."

"I wish, sometimes, that I'd held off on making you two SeeDs." Cid sighed and shook his head. "Though, learning all this, I suppose it wouldn't have made much difference in Squall's case."

"No, it wouldn't have," Seifer agreed, stopping Cid before he could open the door to the main level. "Listen, Cid... Squall hasn't shared that secret with anyone other than me, and I don't know _why_ he told you, but he did. I'm _glad_ he did – I've been trying to get him to tell other people for years – but it's something you should probably keep to yourself. Maybe tell Matron, but..."

Cid inclined his head. "I understand." He offered the blond a broken sort of smile. "I wouldn't break Squall's trust."

Seifer relaxed in relief, unable to even _contemplate_ Squall's reaction if their friends were to find out through means other than the brown-haired gunblader. "Thanks. Erm... I'm glad?" Seifer shook his head, frowning faintly. "Whatever. Let's get you set up with Zell's team so I can get upstairs before Squally starts hacking at the table in impatience."

Cid chuckled at that, the pain and stress of the situation lightening with each exhale.

Seifer rolled his eyes and directed Cid to where they needed him, letting Zell know about the change in personnel. As he turned to leave, Cid called his name. "Yes?" he asked, looking back at the Headmaster.

Cid offered him a smile that was still a little cracked around the edges, but much more relaxed from his earlier moment of mirth. "I'm glad he has you."

Seifer flushed and inclined his head before hurrying away, unable to help but think, _'Would you still be saying that if you knew we've been sleeping together for two years?'_

-0-

"I'm beginning to think her plan is to wear us down with waiting," Seifer complained once he and Squall had dismissed the five cadets from the bridge to get some food and water down in Cid's office. It had been almost three hours since Squall told Cid about his memories, and Kadowaki had finally come up to them and demanded they set up schedules for people so they didn't have everyone on alert for the attack that might take some time to come.

"She's certainly twisted enough," Squall murmured from where he was playing with the wires of the control panel.

Seifer wasn't certain he wanted to know what his lover was doing to the console, honestly; the explanation would either go right over his head, or cause undue worry. Possibly both. "I wish she'd just _get_ here, already," he muttered, turning his attention back towards the horizon, instead of on Squall.

"So do I," Squall agreed, snapping a panel on the underside of the console shut and prying open another one to pull out the wires and consider them. He was mostly doing it to see how long it took Seifer to snap, but also because he liked to look at the old Centran technology. "I want this whole fucking thing over with so we can move on with our lives. Maybe take that vacation in Esthar."

"Uh-oh. Squally's finally going to visit Daddy Laguna?"

Squall grunted and moved on to another panel. "Might as well. Sis would like to see him again, and there's nothing wrong with trying to start a working relationship with Esthar. Especially if we can talk them into bombing the Tomb."

Seifer snorted and glanced over his shoulder, only to twitch a little violently at the mess of wires Squall was poking through. "Damn it, Squall. Would you– Stop. Just...stop. Okay?"

Squall flashed him an evil little smile and continued sorting through the wires, mentally cataloguing what each one went to.

Seifer firmly turned his back on his lover. "What made you suddenly decide to tell someone?"

Squall's good humour faded and he shoved the wires back up, under their panel, no longer interested in fucking with his best friend. "Shiva."

"So the Ice Bitch finally managed to talk some sense into you? Well, if I'd known having her on my side was all it took–" Seifer snarked.

"She's _always_ been on your side," Squall cut in, voice a bit sharper than he'd intended. He closed his eyes and let out a breath, resisting the urge to bang his head back against the steel floor. "Dammit, Seifer. Can we... _not_ have this argument right now?"

Seifer pressed his lips together and glared out at the empty horizon. "What made Cid so special, then?"

"I didn't want to deal with his suspicion right before a big battle," Squall replied tiredly. "Having him assisting us, instead of cowering in his room, was just an added bonus."

"So you'll only tell people when you have no choice in the matter," Seifer intoned.

"I had a choice with _you_."

Seifer pressed his lips back into a line. Yes, Squall had been given the choice to leave Seifer in the dark and work with an irritated partner alone in Centra, or tell him the truth and chance having to finish the mission alone. Neither option had been great, and Seifer was glad that Squall had taken the chance – would _always_ be grateful – but that didn't mean he liked leaving their friends in the dark. The others were all so _open_ about everything, sharing their every thought and memory, and it _hurt_ to leave them so in the dark about something so big. Seifer hated it.

Squall got up from the floor with a sigh and stepped over to Seifer's side, lightly touching his shoulder. "Seifer, _please_."

Seifer let out a heavy breath, unwilling to continue the argument when Squall used that tone. He moved his arm to wrap it around the younger teen's shoulders, only to freeze partway through at the sudden gleam of red on the horizon. "Fuck."

Squall's head jerked around and he squinted against the glare of the setting sun. Just to the north of the sun sat a red speck. "Fucking great," he agreed, quickly calculating the time of arrival in his head.

"Maybe an hour," Seifer said before Squall could finish his mental calculations. "They're still pretty far off."

After a moment's thought, Squall had to agree with that assessment. "I'll announce that we've got forty-five minutes," he decided. "Let everyone grab some food and get a chance to relax a bit before they have to be back on their feet."

Seifer nodded and dropped his arm to let Squall past him and at the comm. His own eyes remained glued on the approaching dot as Squall's even voice washed over him, coolly factual as he ordered everyone to rest for forty-five minutes and be ready to take on their fellow Garden after that.

The lift whirred behind them as Squall clicked off the comm and both SeeDs turned to see their pilots and lookouts standing there, eyes wide with panic, but determined to do their part. "We can take our positions again," the elder pilot, Flynn Paz, insisted.

Seifer shook his head. "Go back down to the office. We need you at your best, and that means finishing your dinner and taking twenty minutes to clear your thoughts, not standing around up here, staring at consoles. Squall and I are capable of keeping an eye on things up here."

"Go back down," Squall added, pinning the group of them with a hard stare.

The five kids meekly returned to the office.

"This isn't going to be fun," Squall commented as he joined Seifer back at the window, eyes flickering towards the setting sun. Bright spots danced in his vision, berating him for looking towards the fiery ball, but he blinked past them at the approaching Garden.

"A night battle won't be fun for either of us," Seifer pointed out as he wrapped an arm around Squall's abdomen and situated them so he could rest his head against the brunet's. "Not unless they've got outdoor lights installed to point the way."

"Or night goggles."

"Those only do so much."

"They do enough."

"Not when you're trying to aim a motorcycle towards an opposing quad."

Squall snorted and relaxed slightly back against the blond's chest.

"Maybe someone will grow a pair and tell Ultimecia we're all best off waiting until the sun rises again to try this," Seifer suggested. "Not that that would be much better, since we'd all spend the night on edge..."

"Anyone who tried suggesting that to her would end up dead," Squall replied drily. "No, she wants Garden wiped from history, and she's not going to care about a few misaimed motorcycles falling to their deaths in the ocean below if it means destroying us all."

"Cheerful." Seifer kissed Squall's cheek, smiling at the glimmer of amusement in the blue-grey eyes at his actions. "Come on, Squally. No point in standing here, staring at the incoming eyesore. We could use a snack, too."

Squall sighed and nodded. "I know. Do you want to go down a snag a few sandwiches before they eat them all?"

Seifer kissed his cheek again before drawing back. "Yeah. Play with your consoles some more."

Squall rolled his eyes, but returned to his original position under the row of controls while Seifer took the lift down. Focussing his attention on something _other_ than the incoming Garden was a good way to relax, but that didn't make it easy. It wasn't until Seifer came back with the promised food and some drinks and joined him on the floor, asking about what one wire or another was for, that he was able to put Galbadia Garden out of his mind.

-0-

The battle, when it happened, was held over the ocean, completely by the lights of their respective halos. As expected, Ultimecia hadn't cared if a couple people died in their attempts to get over to Balamb Garden, and Squall was all too glad that he and Seifer had agreed to keep their plans defensive, rather than ever trying to go on the offensive against the larger Garden.

Far too many of the Galbadians who made it across gave themselves up in relief from having survived their trip, filling the Garden hub with unarmed men and women curled together with fear and relief warring in their eyes. On one hand, it meant the fighting wasn't so hard for the Balamb forces; on the other, if the Galbadian forces decided to suddenly revolt, they were already inside Garden, and there weren't enough SeeDs and cadets to keep an eye on them. Squall and Seifer had sent Shiva and Ifrit down to watch the huddled group, but that only helped them relax so far.

For the Ghost, they had fought over land, and one good ram had caught the Gardens' rings in some trees and enabled them to tilt just enough to catch fast at their entrances. Over the ocean, there were no such trees, only an endless view of ocean that slowed the large shelters if they tilted and caught against it, but didn't stop them. But their pilots were just the right side of clever and desperate and they finally managed to scoop under Galbadia's front gate, halos caught up in each other and letting out a terrible screeching sound before the power flickered and they crashed into the water below.

"Cadet Paz, do what you can to keep us here," Squall directed as Seifer used the comm to call their friends to meet them, with Ellone, at the front gates. They'd discussed whether or not to let the others accompany them through Time Compression – another almost fight about letting their friends in – and Seifer had finally won by pointing out that the battle against Ultimecia would go far better if they had some sort of backup. Squall didn't like dragging his friends after them to fight the uber-bitch, but they were more than capable, and they would need all the help they could get.

Paz saluted the two SeeDs as Squall and Seifer took the lift down to the office. Then they were running, down the nearest staircase and past the crowd of Galbadians to where eight other SeeDs and Ellone awaited them, all just a little grim-faced, but expectant. Some other SeeDs and cadets had come to relieve the two GFs standing watch over the Galbadians, so Shiva and Ifrit returned to their chosen humans once they caught sight of them.

"Quis, Selph, October, and Xu, keep to Sis and protect her," Squall ordered as they started for the front gate. "Seifer, Rai, and I will take point; Irvy, Fuu, and Zell, you're to cover our backs."

"Understood," they all replied with cold efficiency as they spread out to take their positions.

A group of combatants from Galbadia Garden had jumped across to Balamb, and the front gate defenders were locked in a heavy battle with the incoming. With Squall and Seifer moving at the fore, Raijin just behind, they cut through the opposing forces like they weren't even there, both clearing their path to the larger Garden and easing the strain on the front gate defenders. As they started up the false cliff to the other Garden, cheers and encouragement rang out from behind them, the Balamb defenders grateful for the momentary break the group of SeeDs had given them.

They ran into few defenders inside Galbadia Garden, most of them having been sent toward Balamb already. Those they _did_ run into were easily taken out by the SeeDs, including the team that had thought sneaking up on the group would be a better idea, thinking Fujin, Irvine, and Zell were all less dangerous than the well-known duo leading the way.

The lift to the Headmaster's office wasn't large enough for all of them, so they split up, leaving Ellone with the second group. Squall, Seifer, Raijin, Xu, and Selphie made up the first group, and they stepped out of the lift with weapons in hand to face the cruel woman smiling at them from the dais she stood on.

"Welcome, my children," Ultimecia said with Edea's voice, trying for honey, but ending up only sounding like murder.

Seifer shot the woman a cocky smile as the lift closed behind them and started down. "You know," he said, "if you'd thought to _ask_ for what you wanted, we might well have given her to you. Without the loss of life."

Ultimecia looked momentarily startled. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You mustn't listen to them, my Lady!" a woman's voice called as she stepped forward, a jagged sword bare in one hand. "They'll only spin you lies, as these _disgusting_ SeeDs always do."

"Found her Knight," Seifer muttered under his breath before speaking louder to say, "So you _don't_ have any interest in Ellone Loire?"

The Knight took a step forward, her free hand lighting with a fire spell, but Ultimecia held up a hand to stop her, greed shining in gold eyes. "The Time Witch Ellone, you say?" she replied, voice once again honeyed with death.

"The same," Seifer agreed.

"Filthy, disgusting liars!" the Knight spat, glaring at the group in front of the door with true hatred in her eyes. "They deserve only to be wiped from existence, my Lady. Don't listen to them!"

Ultimecia again waved her Knight back, but suspicion had entered her own golden eyes. "And why would you allow me what I want? Is it not the duty of all SeeDs to destroy those with the gift of Sorcery?"

"We have nothing against Sorceresses. We've always loved Matron, even with her powers," Seifer replied with an easy shrug. "We're only giving you what you want so you'll get out of Matron's body."

Ultimecia jerked, clearly shocked at his words.

Before anything further could be said, the lift slid open, admitting the second half of their group, Ellone in the lead. The woman was nervous, but determined. She faltered for a breath upon seeing the Sorceress up ahead, but she shook her surprise away and stepped forward to stand with Seifer and Squall at the head of the group. "Sorceress Ultimecia," she said in greeting.

Ultimecia narrowed her eyes at the girl. "So you know me."

"I know only what my siblings have told me," Ellone replied, shaking her head. "You wish to be sent back to the Sorceress Adel, correct?" Her hands came up, pressed together in front of her face as if to pray.

" _Yes_ ," Ultimecia breathed, greed making her golden eyes glow.

Ellone gave a brief nod and closed her eyes.

The world around them shifted, colours bleeding into one another like a painting gone wrong. The Knight on the dais was clearly frightened, but the SeeDs had all been prepared before the battle by Squall and Seifer, never questioning how their friends had known what would happen.

Squall touched Ellone's shoulder. "Thank you, Sis. We'll take it from here."

Ellone blinked around at the group of young men and women she called her family and inclined her head. "Be safe," she whispered, taking a step back, towards where Edea was awakening on the dais.

Squall gave a sharp nod, then looked over his friends, one hand dropping from Lion Heart's hilt to entwine with the hand Seifer held out to him. "Remember who you are, who everyone else is. The only way to survive this is to remember each other, create a place for each other outside of time. Only we can keep each other alive."

The others clasped hands, much as Squall and Seifer had, weapons held awkwardly as they all created a circle together, refusing to let go as the floor bled away beneath them, causing them to free-fall through images of other places and times. They looked away from those images, however, focussing on their friends; on nights spent working together on homework and waiting impatiently for Squall and Seifer to get home. They thought of piling together for photos and working together on missions. The ties of death and violence that made up their lives together, leaning on each other when it all seemed too much to bear.

The world stabilised, only to find them facing a line of Sorceresses sharing hatred of SeeDs, all willing to die for the end of those supposed Sorceress Hunters. With the determination born from the world's end balancing on their shoulders, the group moved among the Sorceresses, taking them out with the cold efficiency of those all too used to murder.

At last, they stood before Ultimecia's castle, a little more bloody than they'd been before Time Compression started, but no less determined.

"We'll take a break," Seifer ordered, dropping onto the steps of the castle. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired, and this seems as good a place as any to catch our breath."

"I'm _hungry_ ," Zell complained as he dropped to the ground, rubbing at his stomach. Xu settled next to him, much more dignified as she tucked a couple daggers away.

Squall nodded to October, who he'd asked to gather some food while he was keeping an eye on Ellone and getting some rest before the battle. The eldest SeeD pulled out a bag and passed it around. "It's not much, but it's something," he told them.

Zell sighed a little sadly at the sight of sandwiches instead of hot dogs, but he still shot a grateful smile at his friend as he pulled one out and passed the bag to Xu.

They stayed there for almost two hours, silent in the presence of the dark castle looming over them, but comforted by the sense of togetherness and the food.

Finally, Squall got to his feet and reached down to help Seifer up. "Let's go."

They all rose, letting out quiet groans at the aches and pains of their bodies. They took a moment to ready their weapons, then turned hard eyes on the large doors, which opened almost of their own accord. "Let's take this bitch out," Zell growled, tightening his fists.

"Let's," Squall agreed before starting forward, the others falling in behind him without another word.


	16. Light In My Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere between my rereading the game script for this fight and trying to find a way to _not_ be forced to rewrite this scene _again_ , Squall and I decided to try something a little different. Seifer and the others all think we're a bit mad, but Ultimecia was surprisingly accommodating, once she got over her initial shock.

Getting through the castle had been remarkably easy, but Squall had once sketched out a rough map of the place, so he and Seifer had a general idea of where they were going. It helped, also, that all of them had been regular SeeDs for at least a year, giving them far more battle experience than those couple of months on the run that the Ghost and his friends had. They all still took their fair share of hits, certainly, but it had been nowhere near as difficult as in Squall's stolen memories

Still, just outside the room Squall knew Ultimecia waited in, he called for them to break again. The others, exhausted from traipsing around a castle and taking on violent beasts with questionable access to their usual backups of magic and GFs, were more than willing to take the offered rest. Even Seifer, Squall, and October – the most experienced among them – were happy to settle against the balustrade and catch their breath. October pulled out the last of the sandwiches and water without prompting and they were shared around, much to everyone's pleasure.

"How much further?" October asked of their two leaders as Quistis dozed on his shoulder. Zell, Raijin, and Selphie were also dozing against Xu, Fujin, and Irvine, respectively, and the rest of them looked like they were considering catching a few minutes of shut-eye.

Seifer shrugged. "Ultimecia should be through that door," he replied, the arm around Squall's waist tightening slightly when the slighter teen shifted against him. They were both too keyed up to get any real rest, but that was no reason to deprive the others.

October gave the door just beyond them a worried look. "Is this a good place to be resting, then?"

"There's never a good place to rest," Squall replied quietly, eyes staring off into the twisted lack of sky beyond the castle grounds. "She won't come to us, though, if that's what you're asking. She knows we're here, but she believes in leaving her opponents to wear themselves out on her security, rather than coming straight to us while we're fresh. Given, we outnumber her ten to one..."

"I suppose..." October agreed, still watching the door with some concern for a long moment before turning his gaze to the two Rank As. "I'm curious where you two got all your intel about this place and the Sorceress," he said, a note of suspicion in his voice that he couldn't entirely hide.

"I second that," Irvine called quietly as he settled Selphie a little more comfortably in his lap.

Seifer spared a brief wonder for when the cowboy and explosion expert had become an item, then allowed a casual shrug. "Here and there."

Squall's eyes had flickered away from the non-existent sky to look over their conscious friends, not quite meeting their eyes. Seifer's arm tightened again, sensing the path of his thoughts even before Squall was truly aware that he was thinking about telling them anything. After a silent moment of them all sort of watching each other, waiting, Squall finally returned his gaze to the not-sky and quietly – so quietly, they weren't even certain they'd heard him right in the silence of the bridge – said, "A Ghost told me."

It was a mark of their trust in and knowledge of the gunblader that the four who were awake didn't, for one moment, think that Squall was lying to them, though they questioned how literally the word 'ghost' was meant.

A howl from some monster or another sounded from the courtyard below them and the four who'd been dozing all jerked awake, tired but aware.

"We should continue," Seifer announced, the light brush of his fingers against Squall's arm as he pulled his arm away communicating his pleasure at Squall telling their friends even that much. "As much as I'd like it to be otherwise, we don't have an unlimited time in this time. Eventually, Time Compression will complete, and even our knowledge of each other won't save our existence."

They all shuddered a bit at that, refusing to imagine a world where they wouldn't exist, but unable to deny the fear that they might fail.

It was in silence that they all rose and checked over their weapons and magic stock. The last few drops of water were finished off and the bag October had brought the food and drink in was left behind with the empty bottles, littering the least of their worries.

Seifer was the one who pushed the door open, but Squall was at the lead when they stopped in a crowd at the edge of the room, staring up at the woman who sat above them. "Sorceress Ultimecia," Squall greeted in a voice that was, for him, remarkably cordial. Even his weapon was held in a loose grip at his side, in contrast to the ready positions of those behind him. Even Seifer's expression blanked in surprise at Squall's actions.

Ultimecia, about to fall into a rant, sort of stared down at the brunet for a moment, mouth agape. Then she unfurled black wings and fell lightly to the ground in front of the ten SeeDs, gaze suspicious. "SeeDs," she replied in a voice dark with hatred.

"I don't suppose we could talk you out of this fight?" Squall wondered.

Ultimecia let out a screeching laugh that had the group of SeeDs fighting the urge to cringe. "A SeeD unwilling to fight?" she said, voice sharp with amused disbelief.

"Please, don't mistake me; I'm _more_ than willing to destroy you, I'm just wondering if it's really necessary." Squall shrugged, Lion Heart making a dull sound as the motion knocked the bright blade against the floor. "Do you really need to destroy the world?"

Ultimecia's expression darkened. "I must rid the world of your _filth_ ," she spat.

"For whose gain?" Squall wondered, head cocked to one side. "Your own, yes, but how does that help anyone else? If you wanted to live in a world all your own, without SeeD, you'd be better off moving to the moon, right? At least then you're not murdering thousands of other people in the process."

"What does a brat like you know of–"

"The violence and cruelty of my kind?" Squall suggested, knowing that if he let her insult SeeD, his friends might well take it as a sign that they should rush her, with or without Squall's say. The only thing staying their hand right now was their own trust in Squall; never mind that he had _no_ idea what he was doing. "I've been a SeeD for seven years, and I've done some terrible, unforgivable things. But, in dirtying my own hands, the hands of others remain clean.

"You curse us, call us filth and locusts, but in the end, all we really are is humanity's darkest thoughts and wishes in human form; we are no more than the thoughtless guns and swords that swing at the commands of another, following a will not our own."

Ultimecia was speechless for a moment, but then her face curled with a snarl and she spat, "Pretty words, little boy, but that does not exempt you from your sins."

"I never said it did," Squall replied, trying not to tense when someone shifted behind him. _'Please, **please** let me try this. Give me this chance to talk her down. Please...'_ he asked of his friends, even as he continued to speak to Ultimecia, "I'm not denying that I'm a murderer and I probably deserve every moment of violence and pain you wish upon me; will probably suffer that pain and violence many times over before I can finally die. In a perfect world, I would not exist, but this is no perfect world, and exist SeeD does." He shook his head. "You lay blame on me for what I am, but do you not, also, deserve some share of the blame?"

Ultimecia frowned, truly confused. "Exkuse me?"

"If you hadn't enacted Time Compression, if you hadn't given the world reason to fear a Sorceress of the future, SeeD would never exist."

"That is a lie," Ultimecia spat.

Squall smiled grimly. "No, it's really not. Sorceress Edea created SeeD because she was warned they would be needed to defeat a Sorceress from the future who threatened the world. That same Sorceress – yourself – fell through Time Compression as it collapsed and gave Sorceress Edea her powers upon her death, which was more than enough proof."

Startled noises came from the SeeDs behind him, but Squall kept his focus on the flash of disbelief in Ultimecia's eyes, which slowly melted to belief and sorrow as she searched his face for any hint of deception and found none. "So the monsters were kreated from me," she murmured.

Squall shrugged and said, "Monsters create monsters; that is the way of the world. Sorceress Adel killed indiscriminately those who she believed to have wronged or posed a threat to her. When she was defeated, Galbadia swore it would never again be helpless in the face of its opponents and sought to create an army that could stand against all other armies, crushing anyone that stood against it. Those nations and armies Galbadia crushed during its rise have sat around, biding their time and waiting for a weakness to show that could be exploited. With Deling dead, that weakness has been laid bare, and now Timber and Dollet and the Southern Companies will make their move, killing Galbadians one after another in revenge for the wrongs done to them."

Ultimecia's lips curled with a helpless smile. "And without SeeD, more would have died," she murmured, the knowledge of their future in her voice. "Monsters with peace in their hearts."

Squall inclined his head. "So we are. And so, I believe, are you."

"Squall–!" someone started before they were shushed.

Ultimecia looked at Squall with a new light in her eyes, as if she recognised him, like she hadn't before. "Squall Leonhart, SeeD Ko-Kommander."

Squall blinked in surprise. "Co-Commander?" he repeated. _'I survive? And I share my positi– Seifer.'_

Ultimecia looked past him, over the group arrayed behind him with their weapons held somewhere between 'at the ready' and 'at ease'. By the flashes of knowledge in her eyes, Squall thought it very likely he and his friends would be making quite the impact in the history of the world, enough to be recognisable far in the future by sight alone, once Ultimecia thought to look. The realisation was both comforting and disheartening, for he knew all too well how hard it was for a SeeD to be easily recognisable.

Ultimecia finally focussed back on Squall, sadness in her eyes. "I wanted to change my past, but all I kan do is bekome the kause behind it."

Squall shook his head. "The past has already occurred. It is only our future which we can change." His smile was bitter as he added, "Even then, perhaps the future is beyond our reach."

"Perhaps it is," Ultimecia agreed, "But I do not doubt you will do your best to make it as you wish." Then she made a sudden motion with her right hand, wings flaring out behind her, and the light of an Ultima spell blinded them all as the spell consumed the Sorceress in front of them.

The world faded away to black and white and Squall found himself alone. He remembered that the Ghost had been almost panicked when Time Compression collapsed around him, but somewhere between living a life filled with friends and family and Ultimecia's knowledge of him sharing his leadership of SeeD with Seifer, Squall felt none of that panic.

Light faded in with the voice of a young Squall as he ran off to find the missing Ellone. The elder Squall looked forward, a smile tugging at his lips when he saw Matron, as beautiful and untouched by Ultimecia's hatred as she was in his memories.

"Excuse me, have you seen a little boy?" Matron asked Squall as she came to a stop in front of him, looking past him almost hopefully.

"He'll be back in his own time," Squall replied quietly. "Don't worry about him."

Matron turned her focus on him, offering him a brief smile that faded as she took in the rips and tears in his clothing from their trek through Ultimecia's castle. "Are you well?" she asked, concern in her eyes.

Squall offered her a fond smile, uncaring if the familiarity in his gaze made her suspicious. "I am." A form flickered into sight behind Matron, and Squall offered a nod to Ultimecia, calling, "And here we are."

Matron turned to see who the man spoke to and looked momentarily startled at the sight of the other Sorceress. "What are–?"

"I am here to die," Ultimecia admitted, a broken smile on her face. "Will you accept my powers, Sorceress Edea Kramer?"

Matron let out a noise of surprise, but nodded. "Yes."

Ultimecia inclined her head. As she faded away, her magic slipping into its new host, she whispered, "The future is yours to touch, SeeD Leonhart..."

Squall reached out and caught Matron as she stumbled, letting her lean against him as she regained her equilibrium. After a moment, she pulled away and eyed him with suspicion. "You're that boy," she realised.

Squall nodded. "Yes, Matron, I am." He paused for a breath, then firmly stated, "I'm a SeeD, trained by Garden to protect the populace from out-of-control Sorceresses. _You_ are the one who founded – will found – Garden."

Matron shook her head. "I–"

"Do you understand?" Squall asked, voice gentle in the face of her faint frown.

"I understand," she agreed in a whisper, and there was sadness in her eyes.

Something bumped into Squall's hip and he turned to catch his younger self, already half prepared to do so. Once the younger Squall was balanced again, he drew away, murmuring, "Careful." The boy stared at him for a long moment, surprised and maybe a little grossed out by the blood covering his new jacket, and Squall couldn't help but wonder what memories he'd passed on to this younger version of himself. Only the memories from the Ghost? Or would he receive Squall's memories of his own life, with all the years of death and violence. And if he got Squall's memories, would he be able to cope? Would he choose to live his life the same way, or would he change things even further?

Then Matron's hands came to rest on the younger Squall's shoulders and he looked up towards her, eyes watering and voice shaking as he said, "I can't find Sis. Am I...alone...?"

Matron smiled down at him, then back at the elder Squall, who was rising to his feet. "Do you know where to go back to? Do you know how? Will you be alright by yourself?"

Squall shot the woman he always thought of as a mother a fond look with his salute, silently promising, _'I'm not by myself, Matron, because my family and friends are waiting for me back home. And I'll get there, don't worry.'_

That time faded away, back to the never-ending blackness of Time Compression. Squall glanced around, once, then closed his eyes and let out a breath, turning his mind to those friends, envisioning them cleaning up from the battle with Galbadia Garden, all tired and accomplished. _'We saved the world from Ultimecia. Now all we have to do is save Galbadia from the rest of the world. **That** should be fun...'_

He opened his eyes as sound filtered in around him, voices laughing and talking. He found himself standing next to the lift on the main floor, looking down at a group of cadets who were working together to put the large map back together, a couple of them sweeping up broken glass and mulch from the planters. A skirmish must have broken out in the main hub, and Squall was a little sad for that, but since the cadets seemed so happy, he assumed nothing too bad had come of it.

"–soon as those cables are secu–" Seifer's voice was saying as the lift doors popped open behind Squall, but he cut off with a choked sound before whispering, "Squall?"

Squall turned and raised an eyebrow at him, taking note of the wide-eyed SeeD next to his lover who'd been listening to his instructions. "Yes?"

Seifer's lips curled with a relieved smile. "Thank Hyne. The rest of us have been back for about two hours."

Squall shrugged. "Sorry I'm late. How are things coming?"

Seifer shook himself and looked back at the SeeD in the lift. "Once the cables are secure, have Cadets Paz and Bravo turn us towards Fisherman's Horizon," he ordered her before joining Squall off the lift, ignoring her salute. "I was just heading for the cafeteria to get something to eat," he said to Squall as the lift doors fell closed.

Squall nodded and they moved in step down the stairs, returning the salutes of the cadets cleaning there.

"The Galbadians have already returned to their Garden," Seifer reported quietly as they continued towards the cafeteria. "Our little move to immobilise them broke their ring, though, so they're pretty much dead in the water. We're going to tow them to FH to see what their technicians can do with their system, but no one has any real hopes that it can be fixed. Irvy, Selph, Fuu, Rai, Quis, and October are over there, making sure the idiots behave themselves, but they seem pretty content to follow our lead. Matron being back to her normal self has helped a lot, since she told them to listen to us."

"And Matron?" Squall wondered.

"She, Sis, and Cid are catching up in the boardroom upstairs. Everyone already knows that her actions were not her own, but she's still going to be staying on the third floor unless you or I are there to escort her around Garden, just to be safe."

"Good." Squall rubbed at his chin, grimacing as some dried blood flecked off. "I should go change."

Seifer shot him an amused look. "Probably. It was the first thing the rest of us did upon getting back."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Get me something to eat," he requested as the blond turned towards the cafeteria.

"Sure thing. You want me to bring it to you, or...?"

Squall considered that for a moment, then shook his head. "We can eat in the boardroom."

"I'll meet you up there, then," Seifer agreed and they both continued on.

-0-

By the time they reached FH two days later, a number of things had been sorted, such as who would take over control of Galbadia Garden until they could find Martine, and what sort of punishments would be dealt out to those members of Ultimecia's 'army' that had been willing to continue fighting even after Edea told them to stand down. The hardest of those to deal with had been her Knight, who had hated SeeD for wiping out her home village some years ago; an action done by Squall's hand. (Once she'd realised who Squall was, they'd had to sedate her or chance her killing herself in an attempt to get at the Commander. Squall had watched everything with a blank expression, then turned to the interim Headmaster of Galbadia Garden once she was sated and said, "Perhaps Seifer and I shouldn't be involved in her punishment," which everyone agreed to, if only because they didn't need the woman throwing herself at the bars of her cell again.)

Things had calmed down enough that Seifer and Squall felt secure in letting Matron move around Garden on her own, though she continued to remain in the presence of one of her children, which none of the SeeDs seemed to mind. Similarly, Ellone was often found near Squall and Seifer, preferring her adopted brother's presence to that of their other foster siblings, as she always had. Squall had been a little uncomfortable the first day with her constant shadow, but they'd found the chance to talk that evening about Laguna and Raine – which they'd always sort of avoided mentioning in their letters – and whether their life without Laguna was really okay.

About three hours before they were due to reach FH, a familiar ship docked at the second floor deck and the captain was welcomed aboard and escorted up to the third floor boardroom where Squall, Seifer, and Cid were discussing how to handle the fallout from Deling's murder. Ellone was also in the room, and when the escort stopped outside the opened the door, her face lit up and she called, "Beau!"

The three men turned to look. Cid's expression mirrored Ellone's, while Seifer got an evil little smile and Squall's eyes lit with pleasure at seeing the White SeeD captain. "Captain Owens," Squall said as he rose from his seat. "Thank you, SeeD Mok," he added to the escort as Beau slipped into the room, smiling himself at the room's occupants.

The escort shot off a sharp salute, saying, "Sir!" then turned and left them to it, reassured at seeing that his leaders knew the man in white. He would, likely, go down to the guard at the deck and let them know they could relax their watch on the ship.

Beau gripped Squall's offered hand, giving a firm shake. "It's good to see you again, Squall," he offered, looking over the brunet's shoulder to the others at the table. "Headmaster, Elle." He completely ignored Seifer, which just made the blond's evil smile widen.

"Seifer," Squall warned as he waved Beau into a chair and retook his own seat.

"Aw, no greeting for me?" Seifer asked, pasting on a wounded expression.

Squall rolled his eyes and joined their guest in ignoring his lover. "What can we do for you?"

Beau glanced towards Ellone, who was still smiling, then towards Cid and back to Squall. "Well, we _were_ going to suggest that Elle return to our ship, to stay out of the grasp of Matron, but since you're towing Galbadia Garden..."

Squall shrugged. "Matron was being possessed," he explained. "We...exorcized her, so to speak."

Beau snorted, amused by Squall's usual blasé attitude towards the unusual. "So we don't have to hide Elle from her any more?"

"Nope!" Ellone called. "I'm perfectly safe. And having a good time." She gave Beau a pointed look.

The captain chuckled. "Then I suppose you can stay here. Hyne knows you should be more than safe in Garden." He shot a glance towards Squall. "You'll be around to keep an eye on her?"

"Certainly," Squall agreed.

Beau nodded and rose from his chair. "Then we'll leave you to your towing. You know how to reach us–"

"Hey, Owens," Seifer interrupted, a serious note in his voice that had everyone turning to look at him. He looked up at the captain, none of the usual teasing in his expression. "Galbadia Garden's a bit busted right now, and we're hoping the FH technicians will be able to fix it, but we don't really have a way to let them know we're coming. Could we borrow your ship to send a group ahead and warn them?"

Beau blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Certainly."

"Did you have anyone specific in mind?" Squall asked.

Seifer nodded. "You're the only person in Garden that's been to FH before."

Squall frowned slightly, because he'd only been in the sense that the Ghost had been, but that, at least, was more than anyone else in Garden could say; FH didn't hire SeeD out, and SeeD stayed out of FH. Cid hadn't even been, having sent someone who had since passed away to get the FH technicians to work on Garden when it first opened. "I suppose," he agreed. "You'll be staying here?"

Seifer shrugged. "One of us needs to." Which wasn't, necessarily, true, since Garden and SeeD had managed without a Commander – or two Commanders, as the case was – for years, but now that Squall and Seifer had taken the title, at Cid's direction, they'd wordlessly agreed that one of them needed to remain in easy contact, in case something came up.

Squall nodded to himself as he rose from the table. "Very well. I'll take Selph and Fuu with me, since they both look relatively harmless."

Seifer snorted, amused.

"Can I come?" Ellone asked, looking hopefully towards her two brothers.

Squall had half expected her to ask that. "If you want," he allowed, figuring that FH was more than safe enough for her to come along, and it wasn't like she wouldn't have three SeeDs with her, not to mention however many White SeeDs followed them ashore.

"Thank you, Squally!" Ellone called, hopping out of her seat and joining Beau next to the door, where he was waiting for them to sort themselves out.

Squall shot her a fond look, then looked back at his partner. "Could you have Selph and Fuu told to meet me at the deck within half an hour, sans obvious weapons?"

Seifer nodded as he stood, joining Squall in heading out the door so he could use the intercom from the bridge and leaving Cid to amuse himself for a few minutes. "I'll tell Paz to cut our speed, so you'll have more time to assure our happy, pacifistic neighbours that we come in peace."

"I'll probably need it, knowing Dobe," Squall agreed drily, stopping next to the lift Beau and Ellone were holding for him. "Don't break Garden while I'm gone."

"Your lack of trust in my abilities wounds me," Seifer replied with a grin. "Go on."

Squall rolled his eyes and flicked a hand in Seifer's direction in a hint of a wave, then joined his sister and Beau in the lift.

Once the doors closed behind them, Ellone sighed and said, "You _could_ have kissed him goodbye, you know."

Squall sighed. "No PDA, Sis."

Beau blinked in surprise. "You and Seifer? Really?"

Squall sighed again and rubbed at his scar. "Yes. Please do me a favour and don't spread it around. I doubt Cid or the faculty is going to make a deal about it, not after recent events, but Seifer and I prefer to keep our relationship something of a secret."

Beau understood far better than Ellone how taboo relationships between SeeDs were, so he nodded and asked, "Recent events?"

The lift opened on the first floor and all three stepped out, catching the tail-end of Seifer's call for Fujin and Selphie to meet Squall on the second floor. "Cid made me the official leader of SeeD, and I named Seifer my Co-Commander," Squall explained, taking pleasure in the shock that crossed Beau's face at the announcement.

Beau chuckled. "So, I guess that means you're actually my boss, rather than just having a higher rank."

Squall shrugged. "Technically," he agreed. "I'll try to avoid being difficult about it, but no promises for Seifer." His eyes danced with quiet amusement when Beau groaned.

"Squall!" Selphie called, coming up beside them as they turned off toward the dorms, Fujin at her side. "Hey! So, we're going ahead to Fishermen's Horizon?"

Squall nodded. "Captain Owens has agreed to lend us the use of his boat so we can forewarn the mayor about his coming guests."

"POLITE," Fujin declared.

"It's probably one of the few sensible things to ever come from Almasy's mouth," Beau agreed, only smirking a little bit.

Since the entire posse already knew about Beau and Seifer's stupid game of one-upmanship, neither girl even blinked at the statement, and Ellone just giggled a bit.

When they separated at the dorms, Beau followed Squall, rather than face the awkwardness of waiting just outside a girl's room. He'd never actually seen Squall's room before, having generally stayed out of the dorm wing while in Garden, but it didn't take him much to recognise Seifer's gunblade case, as well as some of his things. "He's staying with you?"

Squall glanced towards Hyperion's case – it _was_ the most obvious item belonging to Seifer – and shrugged. "He's still got a room across the hall, but, yeah, he mostly stays here. We're out of Garden often enough that no one really notices." He let out a quiet sigh as he snapped Lion Heart's case shut, his trusted weapon inside. "That's certain to change."

"I doubt Cid will really care," Beau offered carefully. He wasn't quite certain how true that was, though, since _he_ cared when his people paired up with each other, even when it was just a one-night fling. But, then, they all lived on the same ship year-round, and things got awkward easily there. Living in Garden was a little bit different, there being more room for them to escape each other.

Squall shook his head, somehow managing to _not_ mess up the make-up he was applying to cover his scar in the process. Beau was in silent awe, especially since the younger SeeD was putting it on without a mirror. "Maybe not," Squall allowed, "but the faculty will. And we don't need to be fighting with them right now. Or ever." He snatched up a light jacket that Beau _swore_ he'd seen Seifer wear – and it was a little big on Squall, when the younger man tugged it on – then motioned for them to leave the room. "Let's collect the girls."

Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling away from Garden and speeding their way towards FH, moving much faster than Garden could have managed, even _without_ the added weight of Galbadia Garden dragging them down. Beau saw to it that word would get around to all of his people that Matron was fine and that Seifer and Squall were now their superiors in more than just rank, then left the piloting to his helmsman and joined his guests at the prow, where Ellone was introducing her siblings – Fujin included – to the group of children who had come out to meet them. Most of them had met Squall before, during one of the few times that he and Seifer had met up with the White SeeDs, but Fujin and Selphie were new to all of them.

"I suppose we'll have to sort out visitation, now," Beau commented as he leaned against the railing next to Squall, watching the children as they bounced around the three women.

"Visitation?" Squall repeated, brow furrowed.

"For Elle," Beau offered. When Squall's questioning look didn't lighten, he explained, "The reason Matron and Cid set her with us was because there wasn't anyone else who could effectively protect her, especially not with you lot first being cadets, and then always out on dangerous missions and never in Garden. But if you and Seifer are going to be there all the time, there's no reason why she can't spend time in Balamb and actually spend some real time with all of you. It would probably be safer than a boat travelling the oceans, anyway, with how many SeeDs and cadets you've got on a normal afternoon."

Squall nodded his understanding. "It's something we can work out with her after Galbadia Garden is set up at FH, if you're willing to stick around," he suggested. "We should probably work out a more effective way to communicate with each other, anyway."

Beau grimaced, since communication with Garden had always been a sort of back-and-forth battle for them. "If we're not solely responsible for Elle any more, we can probably make port more often," he admitted. "I know some of my people would appreciate that, too."

Squall glanced towards the shadow of Horizon Bridge coming into view, gaze thoughtful. "I know your ship was meant to be rather inclusive, but would you be against trading your crew out every once in a while?" he asked. "Give your people a chance to be landlocked for a few months or a year while we send some of our SeeDs out with you."

Beau blinked for a moment, then smiled. While enough of his crew liked the life they led out on the oceans – himself included – he knew a couple of them would have preferred a chance to live on land for a while. "Yeah, I think they'd like that. Only..." He frowned a bit.

"Only?"

Beau shook his head. "Because of how rarely we touch land, having orphans has always been for the best, since there aren't a lot of reasons for them to need to be ashore. No families to be missing, you know?"

Squall nodded, because he _did_ know, especially with a family and friends of his own that he far too often missed. "We can work it out so you're only getting orphans, or those who prefer to avoid their families on land," he suggested. "They might have some trouble being separated from friends at Garden, but given how regularly SeeDs are just missing each other, letters passed every five months or so should be fine."

"I'll leave figuring that out in your capable hands," Beau replied, only a hint of mocking in his tone.

Squall rolled his eyes, then shoved away from the railing as they slowed to dock at FH. "I'd like to keep our presence in town as minor as possible until after Mayor Dobe has okayed our visit."

Beau nodded in understanding. "I'll keep everyone on the ship until you've returned," he promised.

Squall flashed him a grateful look, then moved forward to collect his small party.

While ships docking at FH were a little unusual, it wasn't quite the spectacle that Garden crashing against the crane had been in the Ghost's time, so there wasn't the same 'welcoming committee' awaiting them as the four stepped ashore. Instead of a group of hostile men, there was just a fisherman who'd been mending a line in his ship at the dock, and he flashed them a smile as he asked, "What brings you folks to our little town?"

"We were hoping to get a word in with Mayor Dobe," Squall replied evenly, not even bothering with attempting a friendly smile. Selphie and Ellone more than made up for it, though, grinning around at the town and just generally being their normal, happy selves. Even Fujin managed a small smile, unusual on her usually severe visage, but not nearly as out of place as a smile would have been on Squall's own face.

The fisherman nodded, waving at the line of kids at the railing of the ship. A couple of them giggled and ducked while others waved back, wide smiles on their faces. "Sure thing," he told the group in front of him. "Just follow the tracks down that way to the amphitheatre and take the stairs down to the middle. The mayor's in the house with the tree growing out the side."

"A tree–?" Selphie started, eyes bright.

"Thank you," Squall said to the fisherman before starting off the dock. Ellone had entwined her arm with his, so she followed without pause, but Fujin and Selphie took an extra breath, Fujin having to drag their excitable friend along.

"This place is _cool_!" Selphie declared, trying to keep her balance on the rail. "I am _totally_ moving here!"

"Of course you are," Squall replied with an air of fond exasperation. "And you're planning to retire from SeeD to do so."

"I am?" Selphie wondered, hurrying forward on the rail and almost losing her balance to get a look at Squall's face. "Oh, 'cause they're pacifists?"

"NO CABLE," Fujin helpfully pointed out.

"Yes," Squall agreed to both of them. "They don't really see many trains through here, anyway. If you want to live surrounded by trains, you're better off moving to Timber."

"But Timber's so... bland," Selphie muttered, making a face and catching herself on Ellone's shoulder when she almost lost her balance again.

"I'm sure it's about to get much more exciting," Ellone commented, expression sad as she remembered the conversations she'd sat in with Cid, Seifer, and Squall over the past couple days about the likely state of the Galbadian continent.

Squall tilted his head slightly, a thought coming to him. "Selph, would you be against us stationing you in Timber for a while with a couple other SeeDs? We need to keep any riots from breaking out, and that might well mean a show of force."

Selphie nodded, expression grim. "Sure thing." Her eyes lit with an idea of her own and she quickly asked, "Can I have Irvy with me?"

Squall shot her a knowing look, remembering how close they'd been in Ultimecia's castle, and she replied with a poor attempt at an innocent look and hopping down from the rail before she lost her balance again. "I should say no," he told her.

Selphie looked away, knowing when she was caught. "But you won't?" she said hopefully.

Squall sighed. "This time, yes, you can be partnered together. But, in the future, if Seifer or I say no, we mean it." He and Seifer were proof that being both lovers and partners could work, but having done it himself, he also knew there were some missions that you were better off being separated on, which was even more true when Selphie and Irvine had such different specialisations, not to mention Irvine being even more of a hopeless flirt than Seifer was.

Selphie nodded, expression grateful and understanding. "Yes, sir."

"Any other sudden relationships I should be made aware of?" he asked. "Or are you lot going to try hiding from Seifer and myself now that we're doling out the orders?"

Selphie flashed him a smile, somehow managing to look both innocent and like she was about to blow something up. "Zell and Xu have been making eyes at each other for the last two weeks or so, but nothing's official. Unless they're being clever and hiding it."

"ZELL," Fujin pointed out.

Ellone giggled. "Yeah, he wouldn't be able to hide it."

Squall rolled his eyes, but made a note to keep an eye on the two of them. There was also Fujin and Raijin to keep an eye on, but Squall and Seifer had known about that pretty much from the beginning.

With two giggling women and Fujin's slight form looking harmless at his back, not even Squall's blank stare could get the mayor and his wife to put their welcoming smiles away. The people of FH actually had nothing against visitors – loved them, really – and so they were welcomed upstairs with open arms and offered refreshments, which Ellone and Selphie were more than willing to indulge in. Squall couldn't help wondering how long the welcoming air would last, given their affiliation with the mercenary force that Dobe so hated.

"So, what brings you kids here?" Dobe asked once they were all settled.

Squall resisted the urge to rub at his scar, uncertain if the mayor would even recognise it, but unwilling to take the chance, especially since he doubted they would react favourably to having so well-know a murderer in their home – them being Garden was bad enough, him being _Squall Leonhart_ was worse. "There was a recent battle between Balamb Garden and Galbadia Garden which ended with Galbadia's propulsion ring cracking. We're incapable of fixing it ourselves and were hoping your technicians would be willing to take a look at it."

There was a moment of stunned silence at that, then Dobe and Flo's faces darkened and the mayor said, "You're from Garden."

Selphie and Fujin both tensed a bit at the hostile tone in Dobe's voice, while Ellone shifted a little closer to Squall. "We are," Squall agreed, voice remaining even and giving no hint of being bothered by the response to their presence. "Are you willing to assist us, or should we have Garden turn around and attempt to fix things ourselves?"

Dobe spent a long moment warring with himself – he didn't believe in turning away those who requested their help, even people as violent as Garden – before finally grumbling, "We'll help you. But we don't want any of your kind causing trouble in our city!"

Squall inclined his head in understanding. "Those SeeDs and cadets with an interest in observing the city will be directed to leave all weapons and personal fights in Garden," he promised, and Dobe and Flo both relaxed a bit at that. "Given the size of Garden and the current position of the cracked ring being under water, where would you like Galbadia Garden parked? We might be able to lift it slightly for ease of access, but I'm uncertain what sort of strain that will put on both Garden and the city's structure."

Dobe frowned in thought and shook his head. "For now, if you'll park near the cranes, our technicians can take a look at the damage to the systems inside and see if there's any way to get the ring back in working order without doing actual work on the physical object. If further work is required, we'll figure it out then."

"Do you require any form of reimbursement for your services, or...?"

"No. We help because that's what we do," Dobe replied a touch sharply. "Just keep your fighting urges out of my city."

Squall stood. "You have our gratitude, then," he offered before turning to the three women. "We need to let Garden know where to park."

Flo rose with them, saying, "I'll let our technicians know to expect you."

Squall shrugged and led the way out of the mayor's house, not reacting when Ellone once again took his arm.

"Squally, can I stay in the city while you're back at Garden?" Ellone asked as they reached the tracks and Selphie hopped up onto the rail again to try her balancing act.

Squall sighed. "Yes, but I want you to stay with Fuu and Selph."

Ellone rolled her eyes at the protection. "I know, I know."

"TROUBLE?" Fujin asked.

Squall shook his head. "Unlikely, but I'd prefer to be safe, especially with how close we are to Esthar."

"UNDERSTOOD."

"Yeah, we'll make sure nothing happens to Sis," Selphie agreed.

When they reached the ship, Squall left Ellone with his two friends and waited for Beau to let some of his own people ashore before they set off back to Garden to deliver the news.


	17. Lying Next to a Ghost

 

Balamb Garden ended up stuck at FH with Galbadia Garden, just in case they needed to help move the large Garden to a different position for the technicians. This would have been a lot more trouble – given the state of the Galbadian continent – if it weren't for Beau being there with them. The White SeeD Captain was more than willing to ferry SeeD teams to Dollet, Timber, and the southern villages, where the brewing rebellion was the most violent.

Selphie and Irvine were sent with a team of six other SeeDs to calm Timber, while October and Quistis led the team of fourteen SeeDs to cover the southern villages, and Fujin and Raijin were sent up to Dollet with four other SeeDs to calm the minor rebellion simmering there. They were waiting overnight for the White SeeD ship to return before sending a group to Deling City – in part to quell the rioting that was certainly taking place there, and in part to help defend the city against anyone the other groups missed – when Seifer had a brilliant idea.

It all started with a tired comment from Squall, who was dozing on the bed while Seifer went over some of the paperwork they'd inherited with their new positions. "It's a pity we're so close to Esthar and unable to visit," Squall had muttered, blocking the glare of the desk light with one hand and resigning himself to remaining awake until his lover was willing to turn in for the night. Sometimes Seifer would come right to bed, and sometimes he would stay up for a few more hours, trying and failing to block the desk light with his body.

Seifer hummed a bit, not quite hearing him. He got about another sentence through the document he was reading before Squall's words sunk in. "Wait, what?" He put his pen down and turned to face Squall. "Esthar?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "We're a few days walk from the OCS entrance," he supplied. "And you're always complaining that _I_ don't listen."

Seifer frowned, a thought slowly taking form in the back of his head. "Well, you _don't_. Or you do, but– Hey, would Esthar be willing to help us with calming Galbadia, do you know? Or, well..."

Squall sighed. "Would Laguna be able to talk them into it? I don't know. They seemed to rather like living on their own and ignoring the rest of us, but I'm not certain that wasn't just a protective measure to keep Galbadia from coming down on their heads after Adel." He rubbed at his scar, wincing when doing so gave the desk lamp a clear shot at his eyes.

Seifer scooted his chair to one side so his shadow fell across Squall's eyes. "If we put it to them that they could assist as a sort of show of good-will, though. They might be willing to accept that, right? Maybe?"

"I don't know," Squall admitted, flashing a faint smile at the blond in response to him blocking the light. "Even if we could talk them around, though, who would we send? You and I need to stay here, and all the others I'd trust are in Galbadia."

Seifer shook his head. "Not _everyone_ ," he replied. "Xu and Chicken-Head are still in Garden. We should be able to take them off the Deling City team without sacrificing too much fire power. Put another couple SeeDs on that team to make up for their loss, maybe..."

Squall frowned in thought. As a general rule, he was uncomfortable with sending his friends into a potentially hostile situation with no chance of backup, but Xu had four years as a SeeD under her belt and had proven to be more than capable at soothing dangerous situations, so she would probably be their best option on a mission like this. And Zell was just the right side of cheerful that he should help put the Estharians at ease; his preferred weapon being his own fists was just a bonus, since disarming him would be rather difficult.

But, still. A couple of SeeDs could only get so far. Unless... "I'll have Sis write out a letter to Laguna tomorrow," he said aloud. "Something of an introduction, to catch his attention. Else they'll _never_ get in to see him, and all this will be for nothing."

Seifer smiled. "Are you going to write a letter, too?" he wondered as he flipped off the desk light; the paperwork could wait until tomorrow.

Squall shifted on the bed, making room for Seifer, as he considered the question. _'Should I? It's not like he would have any reason to be interested in a letter from someone he doesn't even know, but if he finds out I'm his son later and didn't bother trying to send a personal message...'_

Seifer slipped into the bed and drew Squall closer, letting out a content hum when Squall cuddled against him. "I think you should," he offered into the brown hair tickling his lips. "It doesn't have to be particularly personal, but maybe just a few words. Something to catch his attention, you know?"

Squall closed his eyes and let out a sound of agreement. "Dangling a carrot."

Seifer chuckled, the sound reverberating in his chest and making Squall smile against it. "Something like that."

"Sure. I'll make sure to catch Xu first thing in the morning, before Beau gets back."

Seifer sighed a bit helplessly at the thought of getting up so early. "Morning person," he muttered.

Squall rolled his eyes and pinched Seifer's side, pleased at the grunt that got from the larger man. "Go to sleep."

Seifer chuckled again and tightened his arms around Squall's back, pleased when Squall hugged him back.

-0-

_'President Loire,  
'My sister, Ellone, tells me that you are my birth father. I regret that I am unable to meet you in person, but with the current state of the world at this time, a trip to Esthar is simply beyond my reach. I apologise for this impersonal way of revealing my existence to you and ask that we might, in the future, meet in person.  
'Please treat my friends as you would myself and offer an ear to their plea, as it originally comes from myself. Whether you offer your assistance or not is up to you, but I request you at least be willing to listen.  
'Sincerely,  
'Squall Leonhart  
'SeeD Co-Commander'_

-0-

Sometime in the days following Xu and Zell's departure from FH, Trabia Garden had joined her sister Gardens at the pacifistic city, having received a cable message from Selphie about getting their engines started and offering their assistance in calming Galbadia. About the time they arrived, Galbadia Garden's systems were brought back online enough for them to at least lift their ring out of the water so the technicians could get to it easier. With Balamb Garden finally free to leave FH, they teamed up with Trabia and made their way towards the western continent, Trabia going north to check in with Dollet before heading to Deling City, while Balamb turned towards Timber and the southern rebellion.

As soon as Galbadia Garden joined them, Squall and Seifer directed them to cover Deling City, while Trabia kept an eye on Timber and Balamb stayed down in the south, travelling between villages and providing backup for their troops when the people started acting up again. Dollet had mostly calmed down, thankfully, but Beau had docked there and his SeeDs retained an obvious presence, just in case.

After a week, the southern villages were the only place where there was any real threat of rebellion and they were right on the edge of a new school term, so Squall and Seifer ordered the three Gardens back to their original positions. SeeD teams were left in Timber, Dollet, and Deling, just to be on the safe side, but most of their forces had converged on the southern villages, hard-eyed and refusing to allow anyone to talk rebellion under their direction.

With most of SeeD in the south, Squall and Seifer had set up a base camp in Winhill; Squall's home village hadn't joined in the rebellions – having a pacifistic mindset rather like the people of FH, but more accepting of soldiers – and were willing to host the two Commanders when they weren't out, seeing to things personally.

One afternoon, almost two weeks since the battle with Ultimecia, a small fleet of ships docked just off the coast west of Winhill and a single, unusual vehicle drove ashore to the small village. Squall was out, helping with a bridge that had fallen during a recent storm – showing the villagers they were willing to help with menial tasks had done more in the way of calming the populace than setting up a couple SeeDs in their inns – so Seifer was the one who met the guests, looking as exhausted as he felt, but managing an honest smile at the sight of the two SeeDs who climbed out. "Hey, Xu, Chicken-Head."

"You look like shit," Zell deadpanned. "And stop calling me Chicken-Head."

Seifer chuckled and turned his attention to the long-haired man who had joined the two SeeDs in approaching him. "President Loire, I presume?"

Laguna flashed him a smile. "So I am. And you must be Commander Almasy." He glanced around Seifer, expression falling a bit. "Is Squa– Ah, Commander Leonhart here?"

"Call him Squall," Seifer replied, amused. "And, no, he's up the river, helping with a bridge. They should be back in a couple hours, if you wanted to come in and sit for a bit?" He motioned back towards the inn the SeeDs occupying Winhill were staying at. Squall and Seifer had been offered the house that Laguna had once stayed in, before he moved in with Raine, but they'd preferred to remain with their people, even if it made things a little crowded.

Laguna looked rather like he wanted to go hunt down his son, but the dark-skinned man at his side – Kiros Seagill, Seifer assumed – put a hand on the president's shoulder and said, "That's a good idea."

Seifer nodded and led the way into the inn. He settled at one of the many tables filling the downstairs, offering a grateful smile to the owner when he came over with water for all of them. The man shot Laguna a frown, but left them to it without a word; Seifer had no doubt it would be all over the village within twenty minutes that Laguna was here.

"So, where is everyone else?" Xu asked, referring to their group of friends. There were obviously plenty of SeeDs around, a couple of them slowing to look at the group and saluting when Seifer shot them knowing looks.

Seifer shrugged. "About the same places that they were when you left; Selph and Irvy are still in Timber, and Fuu and Rai are still in Dollet, even though they've already signed a peace treaty." He frowned. "Given, so has Timber, but we're not taking any chances, especially not with the idiots down here getting drunk every night and picking up arms."

"What about October and Quis?" Zell wondered. "They still down here?"

Seifer shook his head, turning his mind back away from the daily attempts at rebellion; he hated the southern villages. "No. October broke his leg a few days ago, so we sent him and Quis up to Deling to heal and visit with his parents."

"The villagers seem unusually... welcoming," Laguna commented, watching through the front windows of the inn as a couple of SeeDs in uniform stopped to chat with a villager, all three looking quite relaxed.

Seifer snorted. "Squally made a really good first impression on them, and they kinda like that one of their own is famous, even if _what_ he's famous for isn't quite something they'd have been okay with, normally. When they heard Squall was going to be remaining down here to help oversee this mess, they suggested we use the village as our home base, of sorts. Since our other option was going to be setting up tents and walking to the nearest village to use the cable, we took them up on the offer."

"You couldn't have just taken over another village?" Zell asked, frowning.

Seifer shrugged. "We've got SeeDs spread out through the villages, but setting up a base in some random village requires them to basically support us, and put up with having a bunch of soldiers in the streets. That's what Deling did, occupying the villages, and it's a large part of what ticked them all off so bad."

Xu grimaced and said to Zell, "You remember the destruction of Angles?" referring to the mission that had led to Squall and Seifer becoming partners.

" _Please_ don't mention that mission to Squall," Seifer asked, wincing. "Actually, don't mention it around me, either."

Zell and Xu both winced, all too able to imagine Squall's response to any and all mentions about the mess of a mission. Past experience had taught them all that Squall got really quiet and cold when the mission was brought up, and being in the south, where it had happened, surrounded by similar circumstances...

Laguna and Kiros traded curious looks, but wisely decided not to ask. Instead, Kiros turned to the SeeD Co-Commander and said, "You requested assistance?"

Seifer's eyes lit. "So we did," he agreed in an even voice. "Are you saying you intend to lend us a couple soldiers?"

Kiros inclined his head. "We brought fifty soldiers," he agreed.

Seifer motioned a passing SeeD over. "Bring the map from my desk," he told the young man, who saluted before hurrying off. Turning back to Kiros, Seifer said, "We appreciate it. I'll show you where we could use the extra people. Will they be requiring food and sleeping arrangements from the villagers, or are the prepared to live off the land?"

"Either," Kiros assured him, secretly glad that he'd insisted all their people bring their own supplies.

"Thank you, SeeD Anderson," Seifer said as his map was handed over. He spread it out over the table with one hand while he moved his glass of water to the floor with the other. Laguna came over to join them, more interested by what sort of mess they were dealing with than watching out for a son that he, honestly, didn't know the appearance of.

Seifer settled in to explain how things stood at the moment and where they could use the extra people, then answered any questions and thoughts the four newcomers put forth. Kiros was clearly the brains, out of him and Laguna, but the president had a few good ideas that showed how he'd managed to retain his position at the head of a country for seventeen years.

They were just winding down, having sorted where everyone would go, when the inn door opened to admit Squall. "I hear we've got guests," he commented in an even tone.

"Hey, Squall!" Zell called, waving at his friend.

Laguna turned to look at the newcomer while Squall returned the greetings of his friends. He felt tears spring to his eyes at the sight of the young man, who looked _so much_ like Raine that it hurt. The leaves and muck speckling his clothing and one cheek added to the similarities, what with Raine having enjoyed caring for her flowers. But when Squall turned his attention to Laguna, the differences stood out: the hard lines of war on his face, the stark line of the scar between his eyes, and the quiet darkness in eyes that were more grey than blue.

Squall took a deep breath, a little unnerved by his father's stare, and said, "President Loire."

Hurt flashed in Laguna's eyes at the formal greeting, but he managed a friendly smile and said. "Squall."

There was a long, uncertain silence, then Seifer rolled his eyes and said, "Squally, just hug him already."

Squall's hand flashed out, flinging a knife from one of his many hidden sheaths, and Seifer laughed as he caught it just in front of his face. Zell and Xu snorted, more than used to this exchange, but Laguna and Kiros were left staring disbelievingly between the two young men as Seifer threw the knife back with the same sort of deadly accuracy that Squall had employed and the brunet slipped it away.

Squall returned his attention to his biological father, inexplicably comforted by his lover's usual humour. "I–" He frowned a bit and shook his head. "Laguna, it's good to finally meet you." He stepped forward and held out a hand to shake.

Laguna took the hand and used it to draw the teen into a hug, which Squall had half expected and allowed with a quiet sigh. "It's, uhm... It's good to meet you, too," Laguna replied as he drew back. "You... Wow! You look a lot like your mother."

Squall raised an eyebrow at that, a motion that Laguna remembered Raine managing many a time, though never quite that effectively. "So I've been told," the teen replied before looking over Laguna's shoulder at Kiros. "Kiros Seagill, I believe?"

Kiros chuckled at that and extended his own hand for a shake, which wasn't turned into another awkward hug, thankfully. "Good to meet you, Commander."

Squall shrugged. "As I'm sure Seifer has already told you, first names will be fine," he said. Seifer had, in fact, made mention of that while they'd been discussing troop placement, but Squall managed a much more official air than the blond and Kiros had found himself using the teen's title without realising he was doing it.

"Kiros and Laguna brought us fifty more idiots to play with," Seifer told his partner.

"Be nice before they take them away," Squall ordered, slipping around the table to stand next to Seifer and look over the map. He picked up Seifer's glass while he was at it, sipping the water as he took in the changes. Frowning a bit, he tapped a small cluster of villages on the map just south of the Timber city limits and asked. "I thought we were going to put some people over there?"

"We can shuffle some people, but I got a couple reports in while you were out about things calming down over there."

"Hm." Squall handed the glass over to Seifer when the blond held out a hand for it. "I'd still like to send one or two more people over there. Is SeeD Slone willing to go back out on the field, or is he still whining about his ankle?" He scowled, still disgusted that the older SeeD had twisted his ankle and found the perfect village medic to insist he stay off it for a week. Even the threat of docked pay hadn't got him to change his mind, and Squall wasn't quite ready to discharge the man for his laziness, though he was getting there.

Seifer's eyes gleamed. "He's still whining. I say we break it for real."

"Noted and discarded," Squall replied drily, as he had every time Seifer had made the same suggestion over the past two days. He turned towards Xu and Zell, eyes thoughtful. "Are you willing to camp out for a few days?"

Zell let out an exaggerated sigh. "I _suppose_..."

Xu rolled her eyes. "We'll need some basic supplies, but we can head out with the Estharians."

Squall nodded and pushed away from the table. "Two bedrolls, or one?" he asked. When they both flushed, he said, "One it is, then," and left them for the extra supplies they had upstairs.

Seifer laughed at their disbelieving looks. "Oh, come on. You didn't think Squally and I wouldn't catch you, did you? I mean, Chicken-Head was sleeping on you in the castle, Xu."

Zell huffed. "You're an _ass_."

"So I am," Seifer agreed.

"I thought it was SeeD policy that you weren't pairing couples together," Xu said. "That's why you and Squall always kept things quiet, right?"

Laguna made a quiet noise of surprise, but Seifer ignored it to say, "It's never been official SeeD policy, just something that makes sense. We're okay with sending couples on _most_ missions together, but if we say we're separating you, we're separating you." He waved a hand at their surprised looks as he set his glass back down on the floor. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not Cid or the faculty, I _know_ romantic partners can work together fine, but there are times we'll need you on different missions because of your varied strengths or because it would be uncomfortable to both be there."

"Uncomfortable?" Zell parroted.

"If there's flirting or an undercover relationship involved," Squall answered as he joined them with an outdoor bag, which he held out to his friends. "There's enough supplies to last you a week, though you shouldn't be out there that long."

Zell took the bag and tested the weight with a nod. "Cool." He shot Squall a suspicious look. "So, does this mean Xu and me are kinda official, unofficial partners? Like Quis and October have been?"

"A bit more official than Quis and October have been, but, yes," Squall agreed before turning his attention to Seifer. "Roll up the map and let's get the Estharians deployed."

Seifer nodded and set about rolling up his map while Squall picked the water glass back up off the floor and drained it before leaving it on the hotel desk, the others following suit.

"You're not going to change?" Laguna asked his son as the six of them started out to the vehicle they'd arrived in.

Squall glanced down at his muddy shirt and shrugged. "It'll flake off," he decided.

Seifer rolled his eyes and stopped Squall outside the vehicle to pull off the dried mud on his cheek. "There. Now you _sort_ of look presentable."

Squall raised an amused eyebrow at him. "I thought I _always_ looked presentable."

"I said you always look good, not that you're always presentable," Seifer returned with a snort. "Get in the car."

"I'm pretty sure this is more of a–"

"And don't get technical!" Seifer added, shoving Squall towards the door that Zell and Xu had already disappeared through.

During the ride and their time with the Estharian troops, splitting them up and sending them out, Laguna kept watching his son. He wanted to know this mysterious young man who was in charge of a mercenary force at seventeen, and watching seemed almost as good an idea as trying to talk about it. He also wanted to know what sort of relationship he had with his blond partner, uncertain if Xu's earlier comment meant what he thought it meant.

By the time Kiros, Seifer, Squall, and Laguna were heading back to the hotel, Laguna still wasn't certain if his son and the blond were dating, but he _was_ impressed with how both teens handled being in charge. It was clear that they had practise at giving orders, in spite of them only having their current positions for two weeks. Even _Laguna_ couldn't manage his people that smoothly, and he'd been president for seventeen years. Given, he left a lot of the direction-giving to Kiros and other members of his staff...

They also had no trouble dealing with older soldiers, which was what impressed Laguna the most about them. They were seventeen and eighteen, but they hadn't paused at directing men in their thirties and forties, even when a couple soldiers had laughingly told them to go back to school. Seifer had laughed right back at the men, then fallen silent while Squall stared them down. Laguna hadn't been able to see his expression, having been behind the teens at the time, but the two soldiers had both paled and sort of shuffled off. Other soldiers who had seen whatever Squall's expression had been had also moved on without any complaint. Laguna kind of wanted to ask his son to teach him the trick, but he somehow doubted he could pull it off, not with how serious Squall seemed.

And wasn't _that_ odd! Laguna had never been a serious man, and while Raine had had her moments of sternness, she'd been almost as much of a fun-loving person as Laguna was. Squall, though, seemed to be in a constant state of solemn silence, often leaving Seifer to speak for both of them. He certainly had a sense of humour – Laguna could hardly forget the teasing about the bedrolls and the dirt – but he seemed content to leave it among his friends, and they'd all taken it in stride, Zell and Xu not blinking when Squall sort of fell into the background, Seifer moving forward to give the orders.

Seifer was another interest for Laguna. He'd been so focussed on getting a chance to meet his mystery son, that he hadn't much paid attention to anything Xu and Zell had said about their other friends, but he was beginning to wish he had. It was clear that Seifer was particularly close to Squall, communicating with glances and aborted hand motions that looked only vaguely like the SeeD sign language he'd seen Zell and Xu use a couple times for private conversations. They shared their position without any apparent problems, and both teens wore gunblades, though they were different styles. The possibility of a relationship was certainly interesting, but after watching Seifer discuss troop deployment with them before Squall arrived and then again with the soldiers, Laguna couldn't help but be interested in learning more about the blond who was such a big part of Squall's life.

There wasn't a chance to talk much after they'd sorted out the Estharian troops, however, as once they got back into Winhill, the villagers wanted to talk to Laguna – most to curse him, a few to ask how he'd been – and some issue or another had come up in a neighbouring village that Squall and Seifer had to see to. When Laguna went to bed that night – tired from the long trip from Balamb, where they'd stopped to find out Squall and Seifer's position – the two teens were still out, and he couldn't help but wonder what sort of life they led, trapped in this little village and trying to control a civil war.

-0-

Squall offered the inn owner a grateful look as the man set his usual in front of him the next morning, avoiding the pile of papers he'd been working on with the ease of long practise. Instead of going back to his desk or the kitchen like he normally would, the man settled into an open chair across from the SeeD Commander and Squall resigned himself to taking part in a conversation. "Good morning, Seth."

The owner smiled at him. "Squall. Didn't think we'd see you up this early, what with you gettin' in so late last night."

Squall hid a grimace, because he'd rather still be in bed himself, but his internal alarm clock had told him it was time to get up, and rather than tossing and turning for another hour until he ended up waking Seifer and they both trooped downstairs, groggy and irritable, he got up and left his lover to sleep, trusting the overly-caffeinated tea the inn kept on hand for the SeeDs to help get him through the day. "I enjoy watching the sunrise too much," he deadpanned.

Seth chuckled, recognising the same dry humour that Raine had often employed when she was tired. Given, Squall didn't seem to have that same loud humour that his mother used during rowdy evenings at her pub, but it was the little things that all of the villagers liked to spot in her son, treasuring every hint of the woman who had left them after bringing the boy into the world.

Thinking about Raine reminded Seth of their most recent visitor, and his reason for sitting with the teen. "About Laguna..."

Squall's brow furrowed. "Is him being here going to be a problem?" he asked, a hint of the self-sacrifice that was wholly Raine in his eyes. "I know you lot don't care for him, but–"

"It's nothing like that," Seth assured him and Squall relaxed. "It's not really a problem. I mean, yeah, some of the villagers are going to be right assholes about him being here, but they'll deal with it, like they did before he left. No, it's more... Well, are _you_ okay with him being around?"

Surprise flashed in Squall's eyes for a moment before he threw up the blank mask that the people of Winhill were getting uncomfortably used to seeing on Raine's face. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in a perfectly even tone.

Seth sighed and once again mentally cursed the decision seventeen years ago that landed this child of their village in SeeD; for all that Squall had made a name for himself and the villagers were proud of him, there was that niggling thought that if they'd kept him, he might have been so much more open and happy. "Squall, Laguna's going to want to get to know you, to get in your business. He's not going to let you brush him off like the rest of us do."

Humour glinted in Squall's eyes at that, remembering the many times over the past week that he'd been cornered by an overly friendly villager and had to politely inform them that his personal life was none of their business. Most of them left it at that, but a couple – including Seth's wife – had been a little insistent, requiring Squall to be a bit more...rude. Squall didn't _like_ being rude to these people, but he also had no interest in discussing the women in his life or what being a SeeD was like.

"I have parents, Seth," Squall pointed out drily, "I know what it's like to have someone in my life who isn't willing to take no for an answer."

"You have parents?" Laguna asked from behind the teen, having come down the stairs unnoticed by either male at the table. "Someone adopted you?" And didn't _that_ hurt?

Squall sighed and turned to face his father while Seth rose to collect a second breakfast. "Good morning, Laguna," he said evenly.

Laguna took the recently vacated chair and continued giving Squall a wounded look as he mumbled, "Morning," in response.

Squall sighed again and traced his scar with one hand while the other picked up his cup of tea to help fortify himself against this conversation. "Yes," he said at last, "Seifer and I were adopted not quite three years ago by a couple friends of Cid's in Deling City who had hosted us for a mission, Christal and Gregory Gustafson."

Laguna's expression brightened. "Chris Shores?" he asked. "Black hair, green eyes?"

Squall blinked and nodded, vaguely recalling his adopted mother mentioning that her maiden name was Shores. "Yeah. You know Chris?"

Laguna nodded, clearly pleased. "She lived down the street from us before my parents moved to Dollet. She was a bit older, so I don't think she'd remember me, but I remember her. Didn't know she'd married old Gustafson's kid. I never met him, but his father was a real piece of work, from what my parents always said."

Gregory had mentioned, once, that his father had been a bit of a bastard, so Squall didn't doubt Laguna's words. "Well, Greg's nice, and he and Chris really love each other. They've been really good. For both Seifer and me." He grimaced and hid behind some of his breakfast. _'This is so fucking awkward.'_

Seth rescued him with a plate for Laguna and questions about what he wanted to drink.

Once Seth had served Laguna some apple juice and left again, the older man turned again to Squall, who had pulled over his paperwork to read over. "Work?" he asked with a touch of sympathy.

Squall shrugged. "Reports from a team up in Trabia. We focussed so much of our forces on Galbadia that the bandit groups up there got jealous." He shook his head and set the papers back down to focus on Laguna. "I–" He sighed and rubbed at his scar again. "I know this is probably going to bother you, but is it okay if I continue referring to you as 'Laguna'? I just... I've been trying to think of you as 'Dad' or 'Father' for years and it just isn't working. I don't call Greg either of those, either, though. If that helps?" He glanced towards Laguna, a little bit hopeful. He didn't _want_ to alienate this man, and not just because of the pros of having Esthar on their side; he was old enough to admit that he liked the idea of getting to know his father, as stumbling and awkward as Laguna was.

Laguna was torn between being sad that Squall wouldn't call him 'Dad' and grateful that the teen wasn't shoving him away. Although, Squall _had_ made first contact, in a manner of speaking. But... "How many years have you known I was your father?"

Squall blinked. "A while," he replied. "Six years, I think." That was about how long it had been since the first time he'd visited Winhill, and he hadn't received proof that Laguna was his father until then. He'd suspected – well, the Ghost had suspected – but he hadn't had any actual proof until that visit.

"Oh." Laguna frowned a bit at that. "Then... You knew I was in Esthar?"

Squall sighed, knowing where this was heading. "I only found out you were still alive two years ago, when we ran into a city boss who was from Esthar–" a lie, but the only people who would know that were Squall, Seifer, and Semans, none of whom would be telling Laguna any differently, "–and it's not like there was an easy way for me to contact you, not as busy as I was. Am." He shrugged. "If Esthar was connected by the cable, or we could get around the radio interference, it would be different, but..." He shrugged again.

"Is being a SeeD really so busy?" Laguna asked. "I mean, as Commander, sure, but a normal SeeD?"

Squall took a moment to consider his words, then said, "I have never been a 'normal' SeeD."

"What do you mean?"

"We made SeeD seven years ago," a sleepy voice said from behind Squall before Seifer dropped into the open chair next to his lover. "Morning."

Squall handed over his tea. "I'd have thought you'd still be asleep."

"Matagne decided to slam some things around in her room," Seifer muttered into the cup before taking a sip.

Squall sighed at the mention of their neighbour, who was almost worse than Seifer in the mornings, and showed it by slamming things. It had led to at least two shouting matches between her and Seifer that Squall knew about, but the woman wasn't thinking straight enough in the mornings to remember _not_ to slam things, and Squall didn't see the point in shuffling everyone around when most SeeDs got up early and were likely to wake Seifer if they closed a drawer a little too hard; something about Squall not being there to help lull Seifer back to sleep.

"Seven years?" Laguna repeated as Seth appeared with a tray for Seifer and some more tea for both Commanders. Other SeeDs were starting to come down as well, but he'd always made looking after the two Commanders his priority.

"Yes," Squall agreed carefully. "I passed the exam and field test at ten, Seifer at eleven. We were part of the advanced programme."

"Ten?" Laguna said, torn between being horrified and furious. "But you– That–"

Seifer grunted into his new cup of tea. "This is the most entertainment I've had in the morning in _years_."

"I'll talk to Selph about holding random Garden Festivals in the mornings," Squall retorted drily.

Seifer snorted into his cup. "That's torture, Squally."

Squall shrugged. "It should be entertaining for the rest of us, then."

"Sadist."

Squall flashed him an evil little smirk.

There was the sounds of shouting from outside the hotel, then everything shook a bit. Having spent the last week in Winhill, Squall and Seifer recognised the feeling of a explosion from one of the neighbouring villages – it wasn't impressive enough to be in Winhill proper, but it was pretty close if they could feel it in the hotel – which happened every other morning or so, depending on how hung over and irritated the neighbours were after a rowdy night out. If things were particularly bad, they would enjoy multiple explosions, either from the same village or from different ones.

"Dammit," Seifer muttered, slamming his cup down a little harder than really necessary.

"Finish your breakfast," Squall murmured, rising from his seat and touching Seifer's shoulder. "If it's enough of a problem, I'll send someone for you."

Seifer sighed and relaxed back into his chair. "I love you," he said gratefully.

Squall shot him a quietly fond look, then raised his voice to order, "A-Team, let's go. Markus, if you forgot your sword under your bed again, I'll choke you with your intestines."

"No, sir!" one of the rising SeeDs hurried to say while those who remained seated laughed.

Squall led them out, leaving the inn to return to the quiet chatter they'd enjoyed before the explosion.

Laguna looked after his son for a long moment before turning back to the blond, who was working through his breakfast like a man expecting to be called out at any moment. "So..." Laguna cleared his throat as the bright green eyes looked up at him, somehow intimidating in spite of the friendly light in them. "Um... You and...Squall?"

Seifer narrowed his eyes, much less friendly for a moment before his expression cleared and he smiled. "Squall and me what?" he asked in a suspiciously innocent voice.

Laguna paused for a moment, uncertain whether he'd got it wrong, but he was pretty sure there was no way he could have misread that exchange. "Are you...ah...dating my son?" he asked, uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was against homosexual relationships, and Squall was clearly more than capable of taking care of himself, but it seemed somehow wrong to be asking such a question of his newly-discovered son's possible boyfriend.

Seifer remained smiling, but his eyes had darkened with warning. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

Laguna shook his head. "Ah, n-no! It's not a problem! I just..." He rubbed at the back of his head and looked away from the blond's sharp gaze. "I was curious."

Seifer grunted and turned his attention back towards his breakfast. "We've been together for two years. Most people don't know about it, though. Our adopted parents and our friends... Sis..." He shrugged. "That's about it."

Laguna frowned at that. "But... why? You're afraid someone will target one of you to get at the other?"

Seifer snorted. "Fuck no. Everyone already knows we're best friends, and we've been SeeD partners for almost three years now; if someone wanted to get at one of us, they'd already know who to go after. Not that it would matter, since we're both more than capable of taking care of ourselves. No, it's more complicated than that. Politics, mostly."

Laguna blinked and decided to drop that line of questioning, instead saying, "I'm sure you're both pretty good, being the SeeD Commanders, but don't be too full of yourselves; you're still kids, and there's always going to be someone better."

Seifer chuckled and finished the last of his tea before standing. "I'm going to take that in the spirit of you being a concerned father," he said as he gathered the papers Squall had left, intending to take them back to their room. "Enjoy the rest of your morning, Laguna." Then he turned and retreated up the stairs, waving towards Seth as the inn owner passed him to collect the dishes.

Laguna frowned at Seifer's words. "Excuse me," he said to Seth as the man stacked the plates Seifer and Squall had been using.

Seth focussed on the man, silently reminding himself that Squall was okay with him being there, so he should be nice to Laguna. "What can I do for you?" he asked, mostly managing to keep the hostility from his voice.

Laguna was trying to decide how to phrase his question, so he didn't notice the hostility. "How... good are Squall and Seifer?"

Seth blinked. "As fighters, you mean?" he asked, honestly surprised by the question. Who _didn't_ know about SeeD's best?

Laguna nodded. "Yeah."

Seth blinked again, then sat in one of the chairs across from Laguna. "What do you know about SeeD?" he enquired, wondering what rock Laguna had been hiding under.

"Uhm, they're a mercenary force," Laguna said, remembering the brief explanation Xu and Zell had given when they'd first arrived in Esthar. "They train mostly in warfare, specialising in one particular weapon with knowledge of a number of others, but they're also trained in other things, like spying and diplomacy. Right?"

Seth shrugged, because that was about as much as anyone knew about SeeD, honestly. "They train the best," he replied. "Like, any one SeeD equals about a squad of regular soldiers, strength-wise."

Laguna frowned at that. "Truly? They're that good?"

Seth nodded. "You'd have to see them in combat to believe it, but, yeah. Now, Seifer and Squall... They're the best of the best. Those two are the absolute best SeeDs; even before they made Commanders, everyone listened to and respected them."

"Even the best can be beat," Laguna insisted.

Seth shook his head. "About three years ago, there was a pretty serious rebellion in one of the villages to the south of us, along the cliffs. They killed an entire platoon of soldiers and a SeeD during their uprising. Squall came in, and, well..." Seth grimaced at the reminder of what had happened to that village. That had been all anyone ever needed to know that Squall Leonhart was dangerous. "The only person who survived was Squall himself, and word is there wasn't a scratch on him."

Laguna stared at the owner in disbelief. "That... Is that even _possible_?" he whispered.

Seth nodded grimly. "I saw the aftermath. It was...ugly. Seifer and Squall... those two are in a class all their own. I don't want to meet someone better than them, 'cause I don't think there'd be a way to beat them. I mean, those boys are scary enough, but at least they follow some sort of moral code, are willing to listen to reason. But someone better than them..." He shuddered and got to his feet, intent on taking the dishes back to the kitchens. "Anyway, have I soothed your concerns about whether or not Squall can take care of himself?"

Laguna nodded, still feeling a bit numb. His son had killed off an entire village. _'Why?'_

Seth picked up his load and turned a half-step away before suggesting, "If you want to know more, I'd suggest asking one of the SeeDs. They know those boys better than any of us normal people, after all."

"I... Thanks. Yeah," Laguna replied, turning his eyes towards the tables of SeeDs. He spared a brief wish that Xu and Zell were still in Winhill, being much more comfortable approaching them, especially since he _knew_ they were Squall and Seifer's friends. But if he had to make do with just any group of SeeDs... He zeroed in on a duo at one table who looked relatively friendly and picked up his juice and the last of his toast before starting for them, hoping he could get something out of them.


	18. Living For Today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got so completely and utterly away from me. I think it's because I was tired. Possibly had something to do with dinner. Dunno. At any rate, it's a little weird. Not sure how I feel about the whole thing.

 

When Laguna had decided to join the group of soldiers intent on lending a hand to SeeD, he'd had vague thoughts of offering his own services in assistance, no matter what Kiros said about the leader of a country not getting involved in the civil war of another country, even if they were lending soldiers to the cause. He'd thought that, surely, he could talk his son into letting him help out – he'd been a soldier himself, once upon a time – but the first time he'd mentioned assisting to Squall, the teen had pinned him with a blank stare and said, "No," before walking off and refusing to hear how Laguna could help. When he'd asked Seifer, thinking him more friendly, the blond had laughed in his face and told him to, "Sit down and enjoy your holiday, old man."

So Laguna spent his time walking around the village, talking to SeeDs and villagers alike. He managed to learn a fair bit about his son and Seifer – there were few stories that featured one without the other, he was discovering – and while far too much of it involved their various, bloody missions, he also heard about how unusually close they were, to each other and their group of friends. It took him a couple days, but he did eventually get an actual reason for Squall's destruction of an entire village: Seifer had almost died.

 _'I think anyone even **thinking** about going against one of the two of them is going to end up **very** dead,'_ Laguna decided as he walked away from that particular conversation.

Laguna discovered that the Commanders were also much loved by their people, in spite of everyone's insistence that SeeD was cut-throat and being the 'best' meant always watching your back. While Seifer often irritated people with his self-satisfied smirks and sharp tongue, and Squall's aloof personality caused plenty to complain behind their backs, every single SeeD Laguna talked to agreed that the two teens were the absolute best, and they'd follow no one else. There was none of that grumbled hostility that Laguna was familiar with from the normal army, about their leaders being full of themselves, but, then, Squall and Seifer were hardly the sort to sit back and leave the dirty work to their subordinates.

Laguna quickly learned that having one of the two Commanders in the inn, as Seifer had been when they'd arrived, was an anomaly of epic proportions. Squall and Seifer preferred being out on the field, handling things personally, even if it was something stupid, like fixing a broken bridge or rescuing a child from a well. While that was great for morale – among the SeeDs and villagers alike – it meant that Laguna didn't see much of his son, often just missing him in the mornings – Squall was an earlier riser than even Laguna, who'd always driven his friends nuts with his tendency to be up at first light – or getting back from a stroll around the village after Squall had already turned in for the night. He saw more of Seifer, who woke late and spent many an evening after Squall had retired reading reports downstairs, an ear cocked for any trouble he might need to see to.

One rare morning, almost a week since his arrival, Laguna managed to get downstairs before something exploded and found his son seated at one of the tables, the leftovers of his breakfast pushed to one side while he read through a report. Laguna debated between distracting Squall and leaving him to his papers for a moment before deciding spending time with his son was more important than letting him do his work – Laguna was quite firm in the belief that spending time with family and friends was more important than paperwork. "Good morning, Squall," he said as he settled in across from the teen.

Squall blinked up at him, clearly surprised, but then his eyes seemed to smile – at least, Laguna _hoped_ it was a smile – and he set down his pen. "Good morning, Laguna. You're up early."

"No, you're just here late," Laguna corrected, because he wasn't up any earlier than usual.

Squall looked startled at that and glanced around the room, taking in the other SeeDs who were enjoying breakfast and the clock on the wall. "Huh. Maybe Seifer _did_ put something in the drinking water, after all."

Laguna snorted and covered a smile, having heard about Seifer's threat to put some sort of sleeping agent in the water for the neighbouring villages so they'd all fuck off for a couple days. "Maybe things are just finally calming down?" he suggested."

"Wouldn't _that_ be nice," Squall replied drily, shaking his head.

Seth appeared, then, setting down some food in front of Laguna and waving a pot at Squall. "More tea?"

Squall held up his cup in response. "Thanks, Seth."

The owner smiled and refilled the cup as he said, "I don't suppose you've gone by Raine's grave," to Laguna.

The president blinked. "Oh. Erm, no. I haven't." In truth, he'd sort of wanted to go with Squall, but the teen was always so busy... And...maybe he was just a little afraid to go by himself; he'd been avoiding Raine's pub, too, as if going inside would be the final nail on a coffin long buried.

Squall frowned a bit. "Why not?" he asked, honestly confused. It wasn't like Laguna had a lot of strain on his time or anything, right? From what Squall had heard, his father mostly wandered the village and asked about himself and Seifer. (Squall had ended up telling everyone that Laguna was his father just because he got tired of SeeDs asking why the Estharian President would be interested in his personal life. He'd intended to keep it between his friends, if only for Laguna's safety, but that had clearly been a pipe dream. If nothing else, the relation should stay within SeeD and the village, however, so he wouldn't have to worry about one of his many enemies thinking going after the president would be a good idea. If Laguna was the sort to surround himself with guards, Squall wouldn't have been as worried about it, but his father liked his freedom, preferring only Kiros or Ward at his back, and that was not enough protection. Not as far as Squall was concerned.)

Laguna flushed and poked at his breakfast. "Oh, uhm... Well, I..." He let out a nervous laugh and chanced a glance up at Squall's blank look. "I was...hoping we could...go together?" he admitted, looking away again.

Squall blinked. _'Go together? Huh.'_ He shrugged. "Sure."

Laguna's head jerked up and he stared at his son. "Huh? R-really?"

Squall shrugged again. "Yeah. I haven't had the chance to go yet, either." He always made a point to visit Raine's grave when he was in the area. Never with Seifer, but his lover had insisted that it was Squall's time, and he didn't want to be in the way, no matter how many times Squall assured him it was fine if he came along.

Laguna's expression softened at that, unable to help the way his heart jumped into his throat at Squall's reply. "You, uhm, you often visit her grave?"

Squall nodded. "When I'm down here, sure. Seifer and I have been in and out of Southern Galbadia for the past two years, dealing with the rebellion, and I usually try stopping by. It's..." He frowned a bit, not sure how to explain his need to visit with his birth mother's grave.

Laguna nodded, understanding what Squall couldn't quite manage to voice. "When do you want to go?" he asked.

Squall's frown deepened as he thought about it. He really was quite busy, but he didn't _need_ to be constantly out of the village; more than a few SeeDs had mentioned that he should put aside some time for his father. But, still. His job was _important_.

The chair next to him scraped across the floor and Seifer dropped into it, tiredly sweeping some of the papers out of the way. "Morn– Oh, crap. _Please_ don't tell me someone tried talking emotions with you again," he complained, catching sight of Squall's frown.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Trying to decide when to visit Raine's grave," he informed his lover while Laguna snorted at Seifer's words; it was no secret that Squall closed off whenever anyone started asking him how he felt, after all.

Laguna winced a bit at hearing Squall refer to his mother by her given name, but he already knew that his son had trouble with admitting familial attachment. Still, if Squall had managed to call anyone 'Mom' or 'Dad', he'd hoped it would have been Raine.

Seifer flashed Seth a smile as the owner placed his breakfast in front of him, then turned back to Squall. "Go now," he suggested. "I can keep an eye on things while you're gone."

Squall frowned again. "But what if–?"

"Squally," Seifer interrupted with the air of someone who'd expected that response, "I know they're a bunch of idiots, but you really _can_ leave them alone for a couple hours without worrying that someone's going to blow themselves up. If something happens that only you can handle, I know where you are. Go visit your mom. Maybe spend a couple hours with Laguna."

Squall sighed and gave his partner a tired look. "You're sure?"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "It's this, or I knock you out for a few hours. Your choice."

"You're getting less sleep than me," Squall pointed out.

"Yes, but unlike _some_ perfectionists I know, _I_ take _breaks_."

"I'm not a per–"

"Yes. You are," Seifer cut in, giving Squall a sharp look.

Squall's mouth snapped shut and he seemed to be pouting, though his expression and posture remained perfectly neutral.

Seifer reached over and picked up one of the papers he'd swept out of the way when he sat. "Huh," he said after a quick glance over.

"Huh?" Laguna repeated, trying to hide a smile at their interactions. It really was a pity he saw so little of his son.

Seifer glanced at him briefly before shrugging and saying, "We'll be having some guests you might like to meet in a couple days."

Squall sighed. "I told her no. _Twice_."

Seifer flashed him a knowing smile. "At least she agreed to wait until October was cleared to travel?" he replied.

"Who are these guests?" Laguna wondered, looking between the two teens. He knew October was one of their friends, and vaguely remembered hearing that he'd been on medical leave, but other than that he had no idea.

"Chris and Greg," Squall replied tightly. "It was mentioned, in passing, that you were down here, and Chris has been wanting to meet you since I mentioned you were still alive last year."

Laguna let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh-oh. Should I run for it while I still have the chance?"

"Yes," Seifer told him, perfectly serious, only to get smacked by Squall. He flashed his lover a grin before looking back at Laguna. "Nah, you should be fine."

The hotel shook with a distant explosion and a few SeeDs groaned. Squall was half out of his seat before Seifer grabbed his bicep in a grip that looked like it hurt. The two glared at each other for a long moment before the brunet grunted and dropped back into his seat.

Seifer nodded and called, "A-Team, you're on your own today."

The SeeDs who made up A-Team flashed their leaders understanding looks as they gathered their things and made for the door.

Seifer turned to Laguna. "You might want to drag Squally out before something else explodes."

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall muttered.

Laguna was mostly done with his breakfast, though, and he took a chance to finish the last of his juice before standing. "If you're ready?" he offered his son, though he knew Squall was ready to head out, since he'd been ready to take on that explosion.

Squall sighed and rose to his feet. "Yes. We can stop by the flower shop on the way."

Laguna smiled and nodded. "White flowers, right?"

Squall's eyes brightened ever so slightly. "Yes," he agreed, leading the way outside.

The trip to the graveyard was made in silence, broken only briefly during their stop at the flower shop to pick out the perfect bouquet of white flowers. When they reached the huddle of graves, Squall led the way to Raine's grave with an ease that spoke of how many times he'd been there.

Squall laid the flowers down and stepped back, expression blank as he looked down at the headstone. Next to him, Laguna swallowed against the urge to cry at this sign of her passing. This was all the proof he'd ever needed to know she was gone, and it hurt. Hurt far more than Ellone's letter, telling him that Raine had been gone for _years_ , leaving behind a son that he'd never even known he had.

"I...I'm sorry," he said, uncertain who he was apologising to. "I wish I hadn't left. I–"

"I don't," Squall interrupted, voice quiet.

Laguna turned to stare at the teen. "You don't what?" he asked, uncertain if he'd heard him right. Squall couldn't _possibly_ be saying–

"I don't wish you'd stayed," Squall replied.

_'I guess he was.'_

The young man glanced at Laguna's wounded expression and sighed. "If you hadn't left, who knows what would have happened to Sis or with Adel. Maybe you would have been there to take care of me, but what about Sis? And would it have even mattered, in the long run? I mean, Adel easily could have destroyed the whole world, and then it wouldn't have mattered that you stayed, would it? We'd all be dead."

Laguna looked away at that, hating the sensible argument. "I still wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye. To raise you properly. Give you the chance to be a kid, you know?"

Squall looked down at the headstone. "I'll tell you what I once told Sis: I like my life the way it is; all the hardships, all the terrible things I've seen and done... I wouldn't change them. Life isn't a bed of roses; you've got to take the bad with the good. And I've _got_ good; I have friends who I can depend on and a job I'm proud of. That's enough for me."

"You could have had that in Esthar," Laguna insisted. "Not the _same_ friends, but you'd have still had some."

Squall frowned and shook his head. "If I'd been in Esthar, no one would have stopped Ultimecia," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Laguna shot his son a frown, recalling the name as that of a Sorceress intent on destroying the world. "There would have been someone else."

Squall sighed. _'Is it worth it to try explaining?'_ he wondered, but he already knew the answer, had already decided to explain some things to this man. "I don't know that there would have been," he replied quietly. "When we were coming back through Time Compression, I got a little sidetracked. I ended up back in time, at the orphanage when I was four. I'm the one who told Matron – Sorceress Edea – to create SeeD."

Laguna blinked, having not heard that part of the story before. But, still... "There could have been someone else, some other person who fell through time and talked to her."

"Maybe, in a perfect world, there was," Squall said with a shrug. "But, in this world, there was me, for good or ill. That is how this present turned out, and that's not something that can be changed. No matter what Sis might like to believe otherwise."

Laguna recalled a line in Ellone's letter where she'd apologised for not even trying to change things; he hadn't quite understood what a child could have done, but he thought he might understand now: she'd intended to use her power to change things and Squall had probably talked her out of it. Laguna wasn't sure if he was grateful to his son for keeping Ellone from playing in the minds of others, or upset that she hadn't even been given the chance to try. "I still would have, at least, liked the chance to say goodbye," he commented, shaking his head. Because if there was _one thing_ he regretted, above and beyond not being around to raise Squall, it was that his wife had died alone.

Squall turned his gaze towards the hills in the distance, murmuring, "I can understand that."

Laguna shot his son a startled look, having thought that Squall would have been the last person to understand his pain at missing Raine's last moments. "You do?" he asked without thinking.

Squall's lips curled with a wry smile, the closest to a real smile that Laguna had seen him produce thus far. "I am not as incapable of emotions as everyone likes to joke," he said, exhaustion tingeing the twist of his lips.

"I didn't–" Laguna started, stumbling over his words to apologise for his disbelief.

Squall shook his head. "I'm not upset, Laguna. I don't _mind_ that everyone thinks I'm emotionally incapacitated; it makes my life easier."

Laguna shifted, uncomfortable. "I'm still sorry," he muttered.

An honest smile touched Squall's lips and eyes, and Laguna was again struck by _how much_ this young man looked like Raine, the happier emotions turning his too-grey eyes to that same shade of blue that his mother had always worn with such ease. "Seifer already told you we're dating," Squall said. "No doubt with a none-too-subtle warning to leave all further mention of it in silence."

Laguna let out a nervous laugh, remembering the threatening gleam Seifer's eyes had sported when he admitted to his and Squall's relationship. "Something like that. He told me you were keeping it quiet."

Squall shrugged and nodded, eyes still bright with his quiet smile. "Yes. It's not so important now, since we're sort of our own bosses, but keeping it quiet is practically second nature." He shot a glance towards his father. "People always think Seifer started the relationship, but it was me."

Laguna blinked in surprise, having assumed that Seifer had started things. "What, really?" he replied, curious. Was Squall willing to share things with him?

Squall snorted, amused by the surprise. "We were on a mission in Deling City, disguised as a couple. We usually cover our scars–" he ran a finger over the distinctive line dividing his eyes, "–but my make-up had rubbed off and there were people coming. So I kissed him."

Laguna let out a startled laugh, as amused by the mental image as he was by the glint of mischief in Squall's too-blue eyes. "What did he do?" he asked, feeling almost comfortable with the teen.

"Mmm... He kissed me back," Squall replied, smiling at the memory of their first couple days together. "We talked about it the next night and Seifer thought I was going to tell him there wouldn't be a relationship, was all set to argue me around, and all I wanted to do was tell him I loved him."

Laguna's breath caught at that, at the light happiness in his son's voice and the quiet smile that he wore, so unlike the stories of a cold-blooded murderer that Laguna had been hearing from everyone over the past week. And, in that moment, Laguna thought, _'We're okay. Maybe it'll never be perfect, maybe we'll never be close, but we're okay.'_

-0-

Squall and Seifer were out when October, Quistis, Christal, and Gregory showed up, but Laguna was sitting at one of the tables in the inn restaurant, torn between fleeing from his son's adopted parents and proving himself by holding his ground. Thankfully, none of the party knew what he looked like, so they trooped right past him to the front desk, the tall young man in the lead – October, Laguna supposed – offering Seth a grin and a wave. "Commanders out?" he asked.

Seth nodded. "Squall's been gone all morning and Seifer left about an hour ago," he offered, well used to keeping tabs on the two leaders for the occasional villager or SeeD who was wondering after them. Most of the time, he didn't know where they'd gone, but at least he knew when they'd left. "And you must be the Gustafsons," he added, turning to the older two members of the party.

Laguna was more than a little surprised to see the man who must have been Gregory Gustafson hold out his hand for a shake to the innkeeper, an easy smile on his face. "So we are. I'm Greg, and this is Chris."

 _' **Definitely** nothing like his father,'_ Laguna decided, recalling the many and varied stories he'd heard from his parents about the late Lord Gustafson and his high sense of propriety.

"Seth," the owner replied, returning the handshake. "We got some rooms set up for all of you up on the third floor, with Squall and Seifer. Not sure how long you'll be in town–" he nodded to October and the young woman at his shoulder, Quistis, making both grimace, "–but at least you should have a bed for the night. Right?"

"Not likely," October muttered with the voice of experience.

Christal cleared her throat, then, smiling an easy smile that Laguna remembered from his childhood. "I heard Squall's birth father was around?" she said, looking hopeful.

Seth's eyes flickered over their shoulders to where Laguna was curled over his table and the president straightened and called, "That–" he coughed as his voice caught and they all turned to look at him. "Sorry. Uhm, th-that's me. Laguna Loire." He spared a brief moment's wish that he hadn't kicked Kiros out of the inn a couple hours ago, insistent that he meet this couple alone; his best friend's steady presence would have been a comfort.

Gregory's gaze was coolly assessing, and Laguna thought that maybe there _was_ a bit of the man's father in him, after all. Christal, though, stepped right on over, hand outstretched and smiling even wider as Laguna took it. "Lovely to finally meet you!" she told him.

Laguna relaxed, returning her smile. "Likewise. Squall and Seifer both like to talk about you." He grimaced faintly. "When I can _catch_ them, at least..."

Christal laughed and slid into one of the seats at Laguna's table, motioning over her shoulder for her husband and the two SeeDs to join them. "Yes, they've always been difficult to pin down for more than a few minutes at a time."

"That's an understatement," October muttered as they filled in around the table. Then he held his hand out to Laguna. "October Ricaforte, and this is Quistis Trepe."

Laguna traded handshakes with the two of them, smiling. "Zell and Xu told me _all_ about the two of you," he told them, only a little teasingly. The two SeeDs had been back at the inn for a couple days before Seifer and Squall had sent them back out, and that time, Laguna had been willing to listen to stories about more than just Squall, finally interested in learning about the people his son had grown up around.

"All good, I hope," Quistis quipped, a knowing quirk to her lips. "I wouldn't want to have to go hunting for a new best friend."

"For the most part," Laguna agreed, liking the young woman already. He was reserving his opinion on October, though he had a feeling that, once he got past the young lord persona, they would get along fine, especially judging from some of the stories Zell had been all-too-willing to tell about the older SeeD.

"Squall mentioned you hold a public office in Esthar," Christal commented, expression curious, "but he was being unusually difficult about saying what it was."

"Squall? Being difficult?" Quistis said, looking suitably shocked. " _Never_!"

"Oh, you knew what I meant," Christal said, shooting the young woman a fond look. " _Usually_ , if I ask him something, he tells me. Unless he thinks it's in my best interest to not know. In which case, he and Seifer and Greg all trade significant looks, as if I don't know what they're up to."

Gregory snorted, the stern lines of his face smoothing out to allow a fond smile to slip through. "You're just too clever for us, dear."

"Of course I am," Christal agreed, turning back to Laguna. "So, what is it? You're in charge of the rubbish collection?"

Laguna choked in surprise and shook his head. "No, no. I'm, ah... I'm the president." When all four of the newcomers sported shocked looks at that, Laguna sighed and silently cursed his son's twisted sense of humour – and no matter _what_ anyone said on the contrary, Laguna knew Squall had one. "I assume he's been keeping that one to himself," he muttered.

"The shocked expressions are always so rewarding," Squall commented drily as he stepped up to the table, quiet laughter dancing in unusually-blue eyes. "Good afternoon," he added, eyes flicking over his adopted parents and two friends. "October, how's your leg?"

October shook his head. "Fine. You're an ass, you know that?"

"Hm." Squall turned to his adopted parents. "Chris, Greg, good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, sweetie," Christal replied, getting out of her chair to give him a hug. She pulled back after a moment and considered him, concern in her eyes. "You look like you haven't been getting enough sleep."

"I'm getting plenty of sleep," Squall promised, his expression not giving away a single hint that he was lying. And Laguna _knew_ he was lying, because he'd been keeping track of his son's hours. Perhaps Christal and Gregory could talk the teen into slowing down a bit.

 _'Then again,'_ Laguna thought as Squall expertly soothed Christal's concerns about his health and traded greetings with Gregory and a hug with Quistis, _'maybe not. Squall doesn't seem the sort to listen to anyone, except maybe Seifer. And Seifer's been trying, with limited success.'_

Squall finally slipped into a seat, unable to completely hide the way he relaxed against the hard wood, or the grateful look he sent Seth when the innkeeper brought over refreshments for the table. "Seifer up north?" he asked Seth.

Seth shrugged. "Couldn't say for sure, but probably. He left about an hour ago with C-Team."

Squall raised an eyebrow at that. "He sent out B-Team on their own?"

"Rabble-rousing in the south," Seth said with certainty. The call had come from one of the villages around the ghost village, Angles, and both Squall and Seifer avoided that area like the plague.

Squall's expression blanked for a moment, as it often did when the far south was brought up, then he nodded. "I see." He turned to the two other SeeDs at the table, gaze thoughtful. "October, I know we were talking about sending you right back out again, but Zell and Xu have mostly got things covered over in the east, so I'd like to pair you with one of the teams here."

October nodded. "If you're sure," he agreed.

"Quis, I'd like to send you out to join Xu and Zell."

Quistis sighed. "If I _must_ ," she agreed as October took the hand closest to him in his own.

Squall's expression softened, the closest to an apology he could offer for separating them. "You should be fine to spend the night, but I want you headed out first thing in the morning," he told her. It didn't escape anyone's notice that he was giving his friends one last night together when he didn't have to, and both SeeDs shot him grateful looks.

Talk moved on to less heavy topics, then. Christal wanted to know all about Laguna and his life in Esthar, while Squall was curious about those he knew in Deling, and Laguna wanted to hear more about the older couple sitting across from him.

Seifer and Kiros both joined them after a couple hours and they sat together through dinner, talking together and generally getting to know one another. When an explosion rocked the inn shortly after they'd all finished their meals, October quickly rose from his seat before Squall or Seifer could move. "I've got it," he promised them.

"If you're sure," Seifer said, a little uncertain.

October flashed him a smile. "I've been on medical leave for a week and a half; trust me, I've got this."

The four SeeDs traded looks that the four older members of their table couldn't begin to understand – having been raised always ready to fight, down-time was more a curse than a blessing, for them – then October was moving off, calling for A-Team to get off their plump behinds.

For the first time since Laguna had arrived, Squall and Seifer retired together shortly after dinner. He wasn't certain if it was Christal's stern order that they get some sleep, October's presence and the silent certainty that he was around to handle a problem, their own exhaustion, or a mixture of the three that got the two Commanders to turn in at a reasonable time, but Laguna was secretly glad for it. Honestly, watching them overwork themselves made _him_ tired, but he didn't trust his position enough yet to actually order the two of them to take a break.

"I wish they would slow down, sometimes," Christal commented once Seifer and Squall had disappeared up the stairs.

Quistis sighed and shook her head. "Not going to happen." When Christal's face fell, she added, "Sorry, Lady Chris, but they're just too married to their work to take a break. Seifer jokes, sometimes, about taking a long holiday, but I don't think he really means it. And now that they're the Commanders...well..." She shrugged.

"We'll do what we can while we're here," Gregory said. When he looked towards Laguna, including him in the quiet promise to make the teens slow down, Laguna was momentarily stunned before he gave a quick nod.

It was about time he learned how to be a dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Laguna. You make this story so much harder. *facepalm* I had to re-write the scene at Raine's grave four or five times before Squall, Laguna, and I could all agree on a course of events. I'm blaming the whole thing on Laguna because Squally and I were pretty much in complete agreement the whole time, but _Laguna_... *growls* Jeebus.


	19. Some Things Are That Simple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a perspective change. And some minor time-jumps. Wanted to take care of an idea Shara had, and I was sick of arguing with Laguna. (I love him, _really_ I do. But, seriously... *eye roll*)  
>  Anyway, this fic needed to end _eventually_. XP

"I want to do something nice for Seifer and Squall," Selphie commented as she leaned over the edge of the bridge, watching the trains passing beneath them.

"What sort of something?" Irvine wondered, sharp eyes watching the passersby. Timber was calmer now than it had been when they'd first arrived, but there were still pockets of resistance that didn't appreciate SeeD's quiet occupation of their city.

Selphie sighed and leaned a bit more weight on the railing, her behind raising just the slightest and teasing anyone watching with the shortness of her jumper-dress. "I don't know. Not sure what they'd like."

Irvine grunted, acknowledging the difficulty of finding _anything_ for the two high-ranked SeeDs. "Something they can't buy for themselves," he suggested, shooting a warning glare at a man who slowed a little too much, eyes on Selphie. "Darlin', maybe a little farther down in the back?"

"Hm?" Selphie glanced over her shoulder and flashed a smile full of silent threat at the gawker, who high-tailed it out of there. "Well, yeah, but what can I get for them that doesn't cost money and that they won't smile politely at and shove in a corner in Seifer's room?"

"Their own room," Irvine replied, half joking.

Selphie blinked, frowning just the slightest bit as the idea turned over in her head. "Their own...room..."

Irvine turned to look at her. "Selph?"

Selphie scratched at her head and stared down at a passing train, watching it without actually seeing it. "NORG is dead, right?"

Irvine shrugged. "That's what Quis said," he agreed.

"So his floor – the B-level or whatever it's called – isn't in use right now, right?"

"Mmmm... Pretty much, yeah."

Selphie's lips curled with a smile full of mischief. "And they don't have an office right now."

Irvine's own eyes lit as he cottoned on. "I guess they don't. Seems like poor planning, if you ask me."

Selphie pushed away from the railing. "Let's go back to the hotel; I've got a cable to send."

"You, my love, are beautifully devious," Irvine declared as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, walking in step towards the hotel.

"Hm. I suppose I must be," Selphie agreed, flashing him a smile.

-0-

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Cid asked as he walked in step behind Selphie towards the lift. "I can give them an office up on the third floor..."

Selphie sighed and hit the call button before leaning against the edge of the doorway, expression very much like Seifer's patented 'You're an _idiot_ ' look. "It's not like the area's being used for anything right now," she pointed out to him, as she had three times over the past two weeks, twice over the phone, one through the messaging system. "They'll appreciate having an office space all their own that they can spread out in, or leave the paperwork for an hour to spar in. And the security will be to their liking."

"The third floor is secure!"

Selphie closed her eyes and resisted the urge to steal Squall's motion of rubbing along the bridge of her nose. She wished she hadn't left Irvine in Timber, wished her boyfriend was at her side, tall and imposing. But one of them had needed to stay, so Squall and Seifer didn't get suspicious, and it was Selphie's project. Which Cid was _still_ being a stick in the mud about. _Honestly ___.

The lift dinged and they both stepped on. Selphie input her code to access the basement and the doors slid shut before heading down. "The third floor is secure," she agreed, "but not as secure as it _could_ be. They don't have control over who can and can't visit them, and it's always so _busy_ up there, with the techs running around about every little thing and all the paper-pushing."

"I don't see why that would be a problem..." Cid muttered, only sounding a little pathetic.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, if they're pretty much _living_ down here, you'd always know where they were, right? You wouldn't have to send runners to their office _and_ their dorms _and_ the Training Centre _and_ the cafeteria _and_ –"

"That's what the intercom is for."

Selphie shot him a smile, knowing they both well remembered how the intercom wires had been cut during Garden's upheaval a little over a month ago. And it wasn't the first time a careless cadet had nicked a wire during training, since they were exposed in most of the hallways. There was only so fast the technicians could find the cut wires and replace them, and Squall was the only person in Garden who was able to bypass the cut wires in such a way. (Not for lack of trying; Squall had actually tried to teach the techs his tricks, but most of them were lost after the first sentence, and the others had always failed during test-runs. If the process didn't make Selphie's own head spin, she would have happily mocked the computer geeks; as it was, she empathised with their sense of pathetic-ness in the shadow of Squall's genius.)

Cid sighed and pulled out the sketches Selphie had drawn up after using her Squall-taught skills to hack into the Garden database and find the original blueprints for the basement floor. There was a clear space around the lift exit, with a meeting room directly across from the steps and the office off to one side. About a third of the floor was taken up by a training room, while the rest of the space had a large room for both Seifer and Squall and a couple small guest rooms, one of which had Ellone's name pencilled in over the bed. Cid, honestly, couldn't disagree with finding more secure quarters for Ellone, but he almost felt that this was going a bit too far.

" _One_ room?" he tried. Really, that was bothering him the most, especially since he already had a nagging suspicion about how close the two were. Had been off-and-on suspicious since Squall 'talked' him into making them partners.

Selphie pressed her lips together, unwilling to be the one to reveal Squall and Seifer's relationship, but aware that her blueprint was all the evidence one would need to catch on. If only she hadn't needed Cid's permission to renovate the basement.

The doors to the lift opened and they stepped out into the empty floor. They both took a moment to look around, taking in the echoing silence and the stillness of a room once filled with NORG's life-support machines.

"Uncle Cid," Selphie whispered into the silence, "they've already done so much for us – for SeeD and all of the world; isn't it only fair that we give them something back? They've never had a real house, a safe-space they could call their own. I mean, they've got the Gustafsons' manor now, but it's not the same. This... Garden is their home. Don't they deserve their own space in their home? One where they can allow or deny visitors at their will? One that they can redecorate as they please, without worrying that regulation will come down on their heads? Especially now that they're going to be stuck here all the time, for good or ill."

Cid sighed and looked back down at the sketch in his hands, eyes skirting over the single bedroom. "Yes, fine," he agreed tiredly, unwilling to refuse that heartfelt plea. Maybe this was something those boys deserved, something that could make up for sacrificing their innocence for the future and turning a blind eye on Squall's own quiet pain from living with memories of war and death. He handed Selphie her sketches and turned back to the lift. "Make whatever changes you want."

Somehow, Selphie didn't feel as giddy about getting his permission as she'd thought she would.

-0-

After a couple more months fighting with the southern resistance, they finally managed to draw up something of a peace contract between the lead villages and Galbadia's new president. Between SeeD's insistence of overarching neutrality and Esthar's president running things, the leaders met in Winhill and the treaty was signed.

Most of the SeeD forces had already been dispatched to help with the bandits in Trabia or were sent as a protective guard for the Galbadian President, so their forces were few when everything was finally sorted. Most of the Estharians had also returned home, leaving behind one boat, which Laguna graciously offered to transport his son's last team on.

"I don't suppose I'll ever get to see Elle?" Laguna asked somewhat jokingly as Balamb Island came into view. He knew Squall and Seifer knew where she was, but he also knew that they were determined to protect her to the best of their ability; since Laguna also wanted her safe, he didn't blame them for keeping her away from the fighting and, incidentally, Laguna himself.

"I suppose that depends on whether or not you're closing your borders again," Seifer replied from next to Squall. The brunet was staring towards the approaching island with a blank expression, while Seifer was smiling just the faintest bit towards his long-time home, but Laguna thought that both of them were glad to be returning. Quistis, Zell, October, and Xu would have been watching their home come into view as well, but the two Commanders had sent them to sleep a couple hours ago when they first woke from their own nap.

Laguna flashed the blond a smile even as he retorted, "So the likelihood of my being able to see my own daughter is wholly dependent on my country's willingness to rejoin the rest of the world?"

"Well, when you put it _that_ way, I sound like an ass."

"You _are_ an ass," Squall muttered.

Two and a half months in Winhill had taught Laguna that Seifer saw that particular insult as a compliment, and the grin on his face at Squall's comment was further evidence of that. Laguna rolled his eyes at both of them and said, "I can promise to push for it, but the decision still lies with the Council and the popular vote."

"Well, I guess that mean–"

"Seifer," Squall interrupted, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Seifer flashed his lover a shit-eating grin, then looked back at Laguna. "You'll see her when we reach Balamb," he offered.

Laguna couldn't have stopped the smile that took over his face even if he'd wanted to. "Really?" he asked, a little breathless. Meeting his son had been important, but seeing Ellone again would make his world.

"Really," Seifer agreed. "Captain Pretty Pants dropped her off a couple of days ago, when the treaty was signed."

" 'Pretty Pants'?" Squall enquired, eyebrow raised. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know why Seifer was calling Beau that particular name. "One of these days, he's going to chance insubordination just to get you back for years of abuse."

Seifer shrugged. "Probably. It's fun to watch him fume, though."

Squall rolled his eyes and leaned forward against the railing to see around Seifer at where his father was bouncing a bit and looking towards Balamb with far more glee. "Laguna," he called.

Laguna winced at the serious note in Squall's voice and looked over, drooping. "Okay, what's the bad news?"

Seifer snorted, only to get smacked by Squall. "The bad news is: As long as you retain your public office in Esthar, visitation with Ellone will be at a minimum. You can come see her, but we can't let her come see you. Not unless the Estharians are willing to let armed SeeDs into the city to accompany her at all times. And, even then, with our inability to keep communication..."

"I know," Laguna replied tiredly. He _did_ know; didn't look forward to returning to his current home and losing all contact with his family outside the OCS.

"You know, if _only_ there wasn't that radio interference problem," Seifer said in a voice that was way too knowing for Laguna's comfort. It wasn't the first time one of the two had hinted at their knowledge that the interference was Esthar's fault, but Laguna wasn't brave enough to ask what all they knew, or what they _thought_ they knew. He was even less interested in asking how they found out, somehow certain he'd never get a straight answer, and unwilling to test uncertain bonds of kinship by pushing for secrets Squall and Seifer wouldn't – or couldn't – share.

"It's an unfortunate problem," he replied, the same thing he said any time either young man brought the interference up. _'And I complain about **them** keeping secrets.'_

The heavy tread of Garden-issue boots sounded on the steel stairs and they all glanced back to see a yawning October walking up to join them. The moment he caught sight of – and recognised – Balamb, he shot Seifer an irritated look. "You couldn't have woken us?"

"I know how you like your beauty sleep," Seifer retorted in a voice that had the ability to make anyone he used it on simultaneously want to throttle him and run away in terror. The only person immune to the qualities of that tone, Laguna had discovered, was Squall.

October tensed, fighting his 'fight or flight' response. "Squall," he ground out.

Squall sighed and knocked his foot against Seifer's calf none-too-lightly, making the larger teen wince. "We're still a little over an hour out and it was decided we'd wait to wake you until we were much closer; this was decided more for our sanity than because we thought you required the rest, however."

"Sanity?" October asked, relaxing under the calm of Squall's factual response and Seifer's faint grimace of pain. "Oh, right. Zell." The brawler was a bundle of restless energy, desperate to get home and see Ma Dincht after his long, dangerous journey through time and across Horizon Bridge. Xu had been forced to trick him into un-junctioning his protections so they could hit him with a sleep spell and get a break. And they'd only gone that route after Seifer suggested he knock Zell unconscious with Hyperion to get him to stop moving.

"Is Quistis up?" Laguna wondered, knowing October had retired with her.

October took up a position along the rail. "Huh? Oh, no. I managed to slip out of bed without waking her."

Laguna was suitably impressed.

Seifer sidled closer to October and pasted on a sharp smile. "So..."

October took a step away, wishing he'd stayed in bed. "So?" he parroted.

Seifer took another step closer, closing the gap October had created. "Selph and Irvy are up to something. And I'm betting you're in on it."

October swallowed and looked hopefully towards Squall for an intervention. Squall just flashed him a smile as sharp as Seifer's and looked back towards Balamb. "Uhm... I'm under threat of castration?" he tried. It wasn't really true, but he knew that him giving away Selphie's surprise wouldn't end well for him. He actually sort of wished he hadn't been let in on the secret.

"Ooh, castration." Seifer gave a dramatic little shudder, then hit the older man with a knowing look. "That's not their style. Xu maybe, but not Selph. She's more likely to giggle you to death."

"And that doesn't scare you?" October asked.

Seifer considered that for a moment, then gave a very real shudder and moved back towards Squall. "You do it."

Squall snorted. "I'm capable of waiting an hour."

"Oh, come on, Squally! What if it's something _dangerous_."

"Like a weekly Garden Festival?" Squall suggested.

Seifer shoved a finger in Squall's face. "You are evil and have _zero_ compassion for my plight."

October burst out laughing while Squall rolled his eyes and pushed away from the railing. "I'm going back below."

"For the love of Hyne, _don't_ wake Zell," Seifer called after him. When Squall's response was an absent wave over his shoulder, Seifer moaned and covered his face with his hands. " _Doomed_."

"You two are a Garden Festival act all on your own," October informed him, trading grins with Laguna, who had watched everything with a fond smile.

Seifer shot him a dirty look. "Mention that around Selph and I'll take a page out of Squally's book and gut you," he threatened with just enough darkness in his eyes to make October think he'd actually do it.

October held up both hands in defence. "My lips are sealed."

Seifer grunted at that and looked over the railing toward the churning water beneath them. October was just starting to relax against the railing when the younger man asked, "It's _not_ a weekly Garden Festival, is it?"

October bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the worry in Seifer's voice. "No, nothing like that."

There was a crash from down below, then Zell's voice calling, "Are we there yet?"

October and Laguna let out similar moans. Seifer shoved away from the railing, snarling, "I'll kill him."

"Which one?" October couldn't help but ask as the Commander started towards the stairs.

" _Both_ of them."

-0-

The state of the group when they disembarked was telling: Zell had developed an impressive split lip that no one had bothered to heal and was half hiding behind Squall, who looked smug – or, as smug as Squall ever got. Seifer was glaring at both Squall and Zell while the others all hid smiles behind their hands, but generally stood closer to Squall than Seifer.

Ellone quickly defused the situation by stepping forward and shouting, "Welcome home!"

Seifer's expression softened and the group of SeeDs all turned smiles on their elder sister, though Zell's smile looked a little pained. Laguna, though, hurried forward, grinning, and grabbed Ellone in a hug, shouting, "Elle!"

Everyone had already been warned that Laguna was coming – and provided with a description – so no weapons were drawn with the intent of protecting the young woman. Ellone had been expecting the greeting and she gladly returned the hug, whispering, "Uncle Laguna..."

Greetings were exchanged among the various SeeDs and Zell peeled off to hug his mother, who immediately worried over his split lip. Zell didn't have the heart to tell her that Seifer had done it to make him shut up and stop grinning, even if it _would_ have been funny to see her tell off the blond Commander – who had over thirty centimetres on Ma Dincht – it wouldn't have been fun to suffer through Seifer's revenge, especially since he now controlled Zell's pay and missions.

Ellone eventually got Laguna to let her go and she bestowed hugs and kisses on the cheek upon each of her siblings – October and Xu included – which restored Seifer's good humour enough that he draped himself around Selphie's shoulders and gave her a sharp smile. "So," he said as she swallowed a little nervously, "what's this big secret you've been hiding from us?"

Irvine stepped up to Selphie's other shoulder, fingering the rifle slung casually over his shoulder. "Why don't we head back to Garden and you can see with your own eyes?" he suggested, a subtle threat in his voice.

Seifer narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Selphie's shoulder. "Problem, Cowboy?"

Squall sighed and grabbed Seifer's ear. "Stop threatening Selph and Irvy," he ordered.

Seifer removed his arm from Selphie, scowling a bit. "Aw, come on, Squally! It's just a bit of fun."

Squall raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Whipped," Irvine coughed as Selphie returned to his side, rubbing her shoulder.

Squall shot the sharpshooter a look. "Continue to taunt him and I'll let him at you, Irvine," he promised.

Irvine held up his hands. "Peace."

"Hm." Squall turned towards Laguna and Kiros, who were standing just beside Ellone. "Laguna, unless you need to get back to Esthar, you're welcome to join us in Garden for the evening. Your men, as well." His gaze flickered over Laguna's shoulder to where their ship pilots and the couple of soldiers who'd come with stood in the entrance of the ship.

Laguna's expression lightened. "It won't be a problem? Really?"

Seifer snorted. "Oh, come on, Laguna. Like we're really going to kick you back out to sea without inviting you to see Garden when you're already here."

Laguna flashed him a grateful smile, then turned to call out to his men that they would be spending the night at Garden. Seifer and Squall, likewise, turned their attention to the SeeDs around them and collected them to prepare for heading back to Garden, sending Fujin and Raijin to get a couple more vehicles from the small garage off to the side of the docks.

At last, they were on their way. Squall had managed, without Seifer's notice, to set it up so Laguna, Kiros, and Ellone rode with them, which kept Seifer from the chance to pressure any of the other SeeDs about the big secret. Seifer had only pouted a little bit, which had Ellone laughing at him. When he thought to ask her if she'd tell him, she shook her head, and Seifer wasn't cruel enough to pressure her like he did with the rest of their friends.

When they reached Garden and unloaded, Seifer asked, "So, can we drop our things in our room before we're dragged off to see the surprise, or are we lugging our stuff with us?"

"Suddenly not as interested in going to see it?" Irvine teased.

"You have to bring your stuff with," Selphie replied, unapologetic.

Seifer made a face and looked for a moment like he might whine – just because he could – but Squall touched his shoulder and shook his head. "Come on."

Selphie narrowed her eyes at the brunet Commander, suspicious, but retained the bounce in her step as she led the way to the lift.

Those they passed on their way through Garden stopped and saluted the Commanders or called out greetings, all smiling. Laguna was struck, again, with how popular his son and lover were among their people. Some of the faculty members had seemed displeased when they performed the salute – _if_ they performed it – but the normal teachers, cadets, and SeeDs alike showed the same fondness for the two Commanders that Laguna had observed from the villagers and SeeDs in Winhill. For all the regrets Laguna still had for never returning to Winhill, he was glad that Squall and Seifer at least had such a large support base, even if they only utilised a small portion of it on a daily basis.

They had to scrunch a bit to get everyone into the lift – Raijin, Fujin, Zell, and Xu had, thankfully volunteered themselves to accompany the Estharian soldiers to the guest wing – but they managed with only a few bruises.

"We're going down?" Seifer asked as Selphie typed in her code to get down to the basement level. "Don't tell me the surprise is NORG, reborn."

"No, it's not," Selphie promised, shuddering a bit at the thought of the ex-Garden Master returning to make their lives hell. "You think any of us would be standing here in one piece if he was back?"

"Hm. Good point."

Selphie flashed another suspicious look at Squall, who caught it and offered her a hint of a smile. _'He already knows. Meanie.'_

When the lift doors opened to show the changed basement, Seifer let out a surprised sound while October and Quistis both whistled at the change. Laguna and Kiros both looked suitably impressed – they didn't know exactly how things had changed, but they knew something had. Squall just looked around with a faint smile, as if he already knew exactly what everything looked like. Selphie only hated him a little bit.

"What is all this?" Seifer wondered, dropping his bag at the bottom of the stairs and walking forward to poke his head into the meeting room.

"It's for you and Squall," Selphie announced, proud in spite of her irritation at Squall. "It's an office and meeting room and training room and bedroom all at once!"

"I've got a room down here too!" Ellone added cheerfully as she took Squall's arm. "Isn't it amazing, Squall?"

"It's impressive," Squall agreed, nodding towards Selphie.

"It's _awesome_!" Seifer declared, moving on to check out the training room and completely bypassing the office.

Selphie sighed and shot Squall a helpless look. "When did you find out?"

"Last week," Squall admitted with a shrug.

October, Quistis, and Irvine all let out helpless sounds, none of them surprised, while Ellone laughed.

Seifer, though, turned around and gave his lover a disgusted look. "And you never _told me_?"

Squall shrugged again. "Watching you threaten people was amusing. And you were more than capable of hacking into the Garden security camera system to see what they were up to, yourself."

"Whaaat!" Selphie stomped her foot. "But I cut the power to all the ones down here!"

Squall flashed her that look that said she was about to find out exactly how much of an idiot she was. "You forgot to cut the power to the main entrance and the lift cameras when you were having the materials and furniture delivered. Also, they run the Garden-wide debug system on the first Monday of every month, which cut the power back on to the cameras down here."

"Damnit," Selphie muttered.

"How would you have even known which cameras to check?" Quistis wondered as Seifer rejoined them, pouting. Ellone left Squall to his quiet superiority to sympathise with Seifer. "Or during what time period, even? It's been over a month since the last of the materials were ordered."

"Selph used Garden funds," Squall replied. "I happened to notice some suspicious withdrawals from the account while I was putting in the pay information last month, but I didn't have the time to check more closely until things calmed down last week, when I was doing the pay information again. So I hacked into the security cameras at the entrance during the dates around the withdrawals and followed the items to the lift. Given, cutting the power to the basement level cameras was clever, and it would have worked if you had remembered the debug or simply cut the power feed from the system entirely."

Selphie brightened. "You can do that? Keep the debug from turning cameras back on?"

Squall narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Yes. I'm not sure I should teach you how, though..."

"You owe me for ruining my surprise," Selphie replied.

Squall raised an eyebrow at her. "I do?"

Selphie paused at that, debating whether Squall meant that to sound threatening or not, then pressed on. "Yeah, you _do_. Meanie."

Squall's lips twitched with a suppressed smile. "I'll raise your SeeD Rank."

Selphie sighed. "Oh, _fine_. Meanie."

"Isn't that an abuse of your position?" October wondered a bit jokingly.

"I'm pretty sure teaching Selph how to take cameras off the system would be worse than raising her rank one," Quistis replied, smiling. They all chuckled at that a bit.

Irvine ruffled Selphie's hair. "Well, they seem to like it, so why don't we leave them to explore, hm?"

"We'll show Laguna and Kiros to the guest wing," Quistis promised as she gathered her bag from where she'd left it against the lift.

Ellone hopped up the stairs to join Laguna as they started into the lift. "I'll go with. Lunch in the cafeteria in two hours?"

"We _might_ be there," Seifer promised as he came to a stop behind Squall, resting a possessive hand on the brunet's waist.

Squall rolled his eyes. "We'll see you in two hours," he promised amid the giggles Seifer's comment had elicited.

Once the lift doors closed, Seifer wrapped his arms around Squall and said, "I'm still irritated with you."

"I guess that means it's the couch for me," Squall replied evenly.

Seifer snorted. "No, it means you’re my slave for the next two hours."

Squall laughed, a free, quiet sound that always made Seifer smile during the rare times he heard it. "Let's go unpack," he suggested.

Seifer sighed into Squall's ear, making the slighter teen shudder, then pulled away to grab his bag. "And _then_ I get to make you my slave."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Yes, _then_ I'll be your slave."

Seifer flashed him a superior grin.

Squall rolled his eyes again. "Before you conquer me, Master Seifer, am I allowed to lock the lift access and disable the cameras?"

Seifer flashed him a heated look. "Are you _sure_ we have to unpack first?"

Squall considered his bag for a moment, then dropped it on the floor and turned towards the office. "Let me get those cameras and the lift..."

Seifer dropped his own bag and followed Squall. "I am _so_ doing you on your desk!"

In the security room, Squall and Seifer's group of friends – including a reluctant Laguna and Kiros – groaned as the power cut off to all the cameras in the basement, and nothing any of them did could get them back on-line.

"He has _got_ to teach me that trick," Selphie muttered, only pouting a little.

-0-0-0-  
 _Owari_  
-0-0-0-0-0-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The office/room down in the basement was Shara's idea. It's kinda inspired, and without NORG, there really _isn't_ another use for that level.
> 
> And because _someone_ is going to ask: In my mind, Squall never, actually, tells the rest of his friends or Laguna about his memories. Though, I suppose you can decide he does so in your own mind, if that's what you'd prefer.
> 
> I had a _terrible_ time with this chapter. I'm not sure if it's just 'cause I always have trouble ending fics, or because my lack of halo on the NaNo website really _did_ affect my writing that much... Possibly a bit of both. Anyway, it sucked a bit, but I wrote some more on some other fics while I was avoiding this one, which is something. Right? Right.


End file.
